Dance Fever
by JewelsMax
Summary: Bella has been dancing with her besties for years. A showcase is coming up and scouts for dance colleges will attend. Bella is paired up with the hated player, Edward Cullen, for the showcase. But is someone stalking Bella in the middle of all this drama?
1. Didn'tThinkYouCouldDanceLikeThat

**Hey, guys!**

**Tell me how you like the first chapter.**

**It is _really_ long.**

**Haha.**

**I didn't really notice that when I was writing it.**

**Anyways, tell me if you like it or not.**

**-Jules**

* * *

I stepped out of my old red truck and ran into the large three-story building with a sign that announced what it was. The Phoenix Center for Performing Arts.

The Phoenix Center for Performing Arts was, as I mentioned before, three stories high and large, was old fashioned and made of brick. It has been standing since 1901.

I, Isabella Swan or just Bella, have been going to the Center ever since I turned 3. I loved to dance. It was my passion. I've been dancing for 14 years now, making me 17. I don't have a particular dance that I stick to like my friends do.

For example, my best friend Alice loved to dance ballet and my other best friend Rose loved to dance hip-hop. I, on the other hand, have no preference. What I dance depends on how I'm feeling at the time.

I always met up with Alice and Rose after school and on the weekends for about two and a half hours each day for dance lessons. All three of us would take ballet and hop-hop together, but I'd stay for an extra hour and fifteen minutes to work on free styling with both hip-hop and ballet. On weekends, I'd usually stay for up to, at most, three or four hours.

My mom, Renee Swan, and my step dad, Phil, never really cared. As long as I was home by curfew, midnight, then I was in the clear. My mom knew I wouldn't do anything stupid. I was a mature and responsible young adult. The incident that happened with Charlie when I was 8 made sure of that…

I physically shook my head to change the course my thoughts were taking. I went back to thinking of my friends.

Alice was short and pixie-like, with spiky black hair and a very petite body. Rose was statuesque, model-type. Both were so beautiful that it blew men's minds. It was hilarious walking with them. All the men stopped to drool over them.

Alice wasn't an only child. She had two older brothers. One was named Emmet and the other was named Edward. Emmet was cool, I mean the man was a huge teddy bear so it was kind of hard not to like him, but Edward… Edward was a player. I always saw him with different girls _and_ the jerk hit on me when I was still with Jacob and when he was still with some girl named Lauren.

I didn't like him, though I tolerated him for Alice's sake. Rose wasn't an only child either. Rose had a fraternal twin brother named Jasper. Alice was Jasper's girlfriend and Rose was Emmet's girlfriend. And Edward was dating… I don't remember her name. I swear the girls he "dates" constantly change like he changes clothes.

And me? I had a stalker named Mike and two other boys who pined for me constantly. Of course, I ignored them. I didn't like to date, not after I'd found Jacob making out with my bitch of a cousin Lauren who wouldn't leave me the hell alone.

Because I was so caught up in my thoughts, I wasn't watching where I was going. I ended up bumping into someone and then falling hard on my butt.

"I'm so sorry," I said, jumping up and wiping myself off.

I looked into the greenest eyes I've ever seen in my life. I'd know them anywhere. Edward. He looked pissed. I looked at what was in front of him and suddenly understood. He'd been making out with another one of his girl toys. I rolled my eyes at him and continued walking to the first class of the day. Ballet.

When I walked into class, the teacher had already almost started the lesson. She gave me a scolding look and pointed at her watch to say, "Hurry." I quickly got dressed in my ballet uniform and lined up at the bars behind Alice but in front of Rose.

"Sorry," I told them both as we began our warm-ups.

"Where were you?" Rose demanded.

"I got here early, I swear, but I got distracted while I was walking down the hallways," I answered.

Alice giggled and said, "Just like our Bella, our little dreamer."

I stuck my tongue out at her and she turned around for a second to stick her tongue out back at me. I chuckled silently, not wanting to give the teacher even more reasons to be mad at me.

After warm-ups and stretches, Miss Santiago, the ballet teacher, announced that we'd be playing Pose Challenge. Most of the class groaned but Alice, Rose, and I grinned from ear to ear.

Pose Challenge was a game that Miss Santiago made up. She'd have all the girls line up in five equal lines and she'd call out poses. The girls in the front would have to do the pose or move she called out and then walk to the end of the line to wait for their next turn.

The objective was to get the most poses right. If you did, you got extra credit and the more extra credit you got, the better your recommendation letter to college would be. Rose, Alice and I were seniors and we all really wanted to get into a good dance college. So, we'd been working our asses off to get good recommendations.

Though, recommendations usually depended on the senior showcase. Well, scholarships depended on the senior showcase, too. Everything depended on the senior showcase. I couldn't help but feel an excited nervousness whenever I thought about it.

I shook my head and force myself to focus. I was already in line. Rose was behind me and Alice was in front of me again. A girl named Angela, who was really nice, was in front of Alice. She was the first one up.

Miss Santiago put classical music on which we were supposed to execute our moves on beat to.

"Petite allegro!" Miss Santiago called.

Angela nailed the move but stumbled a bit on her way to the end of the line. Her timing was off by a half-beat too. Alice was next.

"Petit battement!" Miss Santiago demanded.

Alice did a very good job while executing the move. Her timing was perfect but her feet weren't as pointed as they should have been. The whole class clapped for her, though. She was so graceful. I was up next now.

"Pas balance`!" Miss Santiago said.

I executed the move perfectly, making sure the timing was correct. I also made sure my posture was okay. The class clapped for me, too. I blushed and walked back to the end of the line. Rose's turn.

"Grand jete`!" Miss Santiago said.

Rose did the move, but stumbled slightly on her landing. Miss Santiago seemed a little displeased with it. Rose sighed when she got to the back of the line. I gave her a reassuring smile and she smiled happily back at me.

The game went on for a long time. Miss Santiago finally started telling the girls to work on the moves they'd gotten wrong. Soon, it was just Rose, Alice, and I. We smiled at each other.

Miss Santiago paused the music and looked at the three of us approvingly.

"I am now going to give you a list of movements. You must perform all of them, in the same order, and to the rhythm of the music. You could call this… the Lightning Round."

She gave us a smug smile before turning back to the stereo. She put in a new CD and it was River Flows In You by Yiruma. I listened to the song. It was beautiful. I snapped back to reality when Miss Santiago gave us the list of movements.

"Arabesque penchee, fouette en tournant, grand jete, battement glisse, pirouette, and end attitude en pointe," Miss Santiago called.

The girls in the room immediately gasped.

"That's crazy!" one girl said.

"They can do it," Miss Santiago said, grinning.

Rose, Alice, and I each took deep breaths.

"Go," Miss Santiago commanded.

I didn't have time to focus on Alice and Rose. I was too busy executing my moves. I made sure that I danced along to the flow of the music.

I did the arabesque penchee, my legs practically a vertical line. I gracefully straightened out of it and took a small step forward before executing a fouette en tournant, my leg coming up to my thigh and twirling on my tip-toe. Then, I stepped gracefully out of it and did the grand jete, leaping.

I immediately crossed my left leg over my right, then stepped right, jumped, and landed with my right leg crossed over my left, executing the battement glisse. I pirouetted and ended with the attitude en pointe.

This meant I was standing on my right leg (well, my right toes) while my left was lifted well behind me. My arms were gracefully above me and I was leaning forward slightly. I made sure that my knee and ankle were aligned.

I stayed in this position with my eyes closed and a blush creeping up my neck. Then, there was deafening applause. I looked up in surprise to see that half of the school's attendees were now inside the ballet classroom, staring at Alice, Rose, and me. Everyone was clapping.

I turned to Alice and Rose and smiled at them, telling them they did good too. They just stared at me open-mouthed.

"What?" I asked.

"You were amazing!" Rose exclaimed.

"Seriously," Alice said, "Rose and I were off beat so we finished way before you. We were watching you, and you were incredible! I'm so jealous!"

"Don't be," I said, "I'm not that good."

"But you are," Miss Santiago said from behind me.

I jumped at her voice and blushed at her comment.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" she asked.

"Shouldn't you know? You _are_ the teacher here, Miss Santiago," I said, chuckling.

"Yes, but I _never_ taught anyone in this class those moves. Even Alice had trouble remembering those moves. But you remembered all of them, and I've only seen professionals do it as gracefully as you have. That was truly tremendous. How did you learn to do it?"

"I teach myself some moves when I stay behind for an extra hour or so every day," I admitted sheepishly.

"How long have you been dancing again?" Miss Santiago asked.

"14 years," I answered proudly.

"You thinking of going pro?"

"I don't know. I don't think I'm that good."

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Get to your next lesson," she said sternly.

I smiled at her and grabbed Alice's and Rose's hands, dragging us out of the room and to our hip hop class. We had to change into our sweats and tanks for hip hop lessons. We also had to fight off people who wanted to talk to me after they'd seen my performance.

It made me blush, but luckily, I didn't have to say anything because Rose and Alice came to my rescue and shooed everyone off. I'd always thank them for it and they'd give me dazzling smiles.

In hip hop class, our teacher Mr. Moore was absolutely hilarious. I loved him. He was so fun. Everyone was already in the classroom when he walked in.

"Okay, okay," he announced, "Everyone stretch!"

We immediately began to stretch and Mr. Moore just kept talking to us.

"So, I see that you're all fine today. Bella, I heard about you in ballet class. Good job, keep it up. Moving on. Stretch your other leg," he said.

What we all loved about Mr. Moore was that he kept talking but he got straight to the point.

We kept stretching. In this class, Emmet, Jasper, and Edward were present. They were joking around loudly in the back of the classroom. Alice, Rose, and I could see this because of the floor to ceiling, wall to wall mirror in front of us.

Emmet kept flicking stuff on the floor at Edward's and Jasper's faces. Edward and Jasper kept getting pissed and started hitting Emmet on the back of his head. And Emmet, the idiot, kept booming his laugh.

"Boys in the back!" Mr. Moore shouted.

Emmet, Edward, and Jasper immediately shut up and kept stretching. Alice, Rose, and I simultaneously rolled our eyes at the boys. Minutes later, we heard and saw them joking around again.

"Boys!" Mr. Moore shouted, "Edward and Emmet Cullen and Jasper Hale! I take it you boys know the part of the routine I went over yesterday with all of you."

The boys visibly froze. I had to stifle the laughter that bubbled in my chest. I saw that Alice and Rose were also having a hard time not bursting into laughter. The boys were quiet and Mr. Moore knew how to interpret that silence.

"Girls," he said, "Bella Swan, Alice Cullen, and Rosalie Hale. Why don't you three remind the class of the first part of the routine we went over?"

"Yes, Mr. Moore," the three of us said politely.

We walked to the front of the classroom. Rose clapped her hands and told everyone to listen up. They obeyed.

"Okay, everybody. Get into your three lines," Alice commanded.

The students did as they were told.

"Now," Rose said, "1st row, you follow me, got it."

"2nd row, watch me, mmkay?" Alice said.

"I guess that means 3rd row, keep your eyes one me," I said.

I noticed that the third row held a pissed Edward. I chuckled darkly. Serves him right. Stupid player. I shook off my hostile feelings.

"Anyone that doesn't remember the steps?" Rose asked.

Emmet, Jasper, and Edward sheepishly raised their hands.

"Except you three," Alice corrected.

They put their hands down and looked around. Everyone else remembered the steps. I smirked at Edward's defeated look.

Needless to say, because of my own experience, I hate players. Hence, my hatred for Edward. He played girls like someone would play a violin, like a gamer would play World of Warcraft. He had no respect for women and so I have no respect for him.

I took a deep breath, realizing that I was mentally ranting again. I took another deep breath and motioned for Mr. Moore to turn the stereo on. The song we were dancing to was Give It Up To Me by Keyshia Cole and Sean Paul. Rose, Alice, the students, and I, excluding Edward, Emmet, and Jasper, began the routine. (In the next few paragraphs when I say Alice, Rose, and I, it means that the rows they assigned themselves are moving this way too)

Rose stepped forward with her left foot first and then when Alice stepped with her left foot, Rose stepped with her right. This meant that I stepped on my left foot while Rose did. We stepped four times before Rose popped her collar to the right. Alice popped her collar to the left. I took a step forward into the middle of them and popped my collar in the middle.

Rose and Alice were a step in front and to the side of me. But we began to do the next moves simultaneously. I began chanting them in my head. Step forward, step back, step forward, step forward, two steps to the right, one step to the left, walk it out, drop and spin, back up, shake your butt, then drop and up, drop and up.

"Good job, girls," Mr. Moore said as we finished the first part of the routine, the easiest part, "Now, do it again. But say the steps aloud."

"Yes, sir," the whole class said.

And we began the same routine but said aloud, "Step forward, step back, step forward, step forward, two steps to the right, one step to the left, walk it out, drop and spin, back up, shake your butt, drop and up, drop and up, five six seven and eight."

"Bella," Mr. Moore said.

My head snapped up and I answered, "Yes?"

"Do you remember the rest of the routine?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered slowly.

"I want you to perform the whole routine for the class," he said.

"But what about the free style part?"

"You freestyle, of course," he answered with a smug grin.

I blushed as I turned to the rest of the class. I did a quick stretch while Mr. Moore explained the routine. There will be a thirty-two-count part in the middle of the routine where we'll all freestyle.

He also explained that when he saw me practicing the part of the routine we'd just learned yesterday, he'd decided to teach me the rest of the routine and let me perfect it on my own.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded and he let the music play. I closed my eyes and waited for the indicating beat. Step forward, step back, step forward, step forward, two steps to the right, one step to the left, walk it out, drop and spin, back up, shake your butt, drop and up, drop and up. And that was the end of the first part.

Right leg over left leg while right wrist is over left wrist, right hand up while legs still in same position, "wind the baseball" and back again, same with the left hand, back to right leg and wrist over left, jump to the right, hands clasped together over head, sway body to the side, drop again, and slowly come up. End of the second part.

Freestyle count is next. Mr. Moore announced it and I began my unchoreographed moves. I decided to throw some of my ballet moves into my mix. I did four straight fouette en tournants before stopping with both feet on the ground and crumping a bit, shaking my butt with both of my arms in front of my chest.

This earned a lot of cheers from the students. I blushed but kept going. Then, I sauntered quickly to a boy named Tyler who was supposed to be going with me to Rose's Mom's birthday party with Alice, Rose, Jasper, Emmet, Edward, and Edward's new girlfriend tonight. I grabbed his hand and whispered lowly to him to twirl me, like ballroom twirling.

He did as he was told and twirled me, though it was hesitant. Then, he twirled me again but into his chest and dipped me. I smiled at him and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I twirled out of his chest at the end of the freestyle part of the routine. I immediately went into the next part.

Loose rolling of shoulders and head, jump and move head sharply to side (This made my hair cover my face for a minute), before looking forward again, left knee up at the same time right hand lashes out to almost touch it but doesn't, switch right leg to left leg, right hand to the side, right hand and knee back down at the same time, and strike a pose (any pose, Mr. Moore had said but mind just happened to be so that my hip was to the side and I looked kind of annoyed-ish) and hold it for a few seconds. End of fourth part. Only the last part was left.

I walked seven steps forward (making it look saucy), jumped (spreading my legs and bending over a bit), I swung my hips from side to side when Keyshia was singing "Whoa oh, oh, whoa oh oh," then I stepped on my right foot and clapped to the beat to the right, and then did the same to my left.

Then, adding my own flare to it, I did a twisting back flip, then began popping my chest and swaying my hips when they sang, "Boom sha boom sha boom boom", then I ended at the same time the music did by putting my right leg on my left thigh and putting my hand under my chin and holding the pose.

The whole class started clapping and I blushed. Mr. Moore was shouting stuff like "That's how it's done," and "She truly is amazing." He was wrong though.

"I messed up, like, four times though," I argued.

"No, you didn't," Mr. Moore said, "But you _did_ deviate from the routine. That twisting back flip was uncalled for, but spiced the routine up. I liked it. You thinking of going pro?"

I was exasperated. "Why do people keep asking me that? I'm not even close to being good enough to go pro," I protested.

Mr. Moore rolled his eyes at me and began addressing the class. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and walked to my bag to grab a bottle of water. I took a long gulp before returning to the class.

"Ohmygod," Alice squealed, "Ididn'. Howcomeyounevertoldme? ?"

"Uh," I answered, "What?"

She sighed dramatically. Rose stepped in to translate. " 'Oh my god,' " Rose said, " 'I didn't know you could dance hip hop like that either. How come you never told me? Where have you been hiding your talent?' Now answer."

I laughed. "I didn't think I needed to tell you guys. I figured you guys would have seen how I could dance by being in the same class with me for almost a year now, since you guys moved to town and began your lessons with me."

"I guess we were so caught up in learning ourselves that we never paid attention to you," Alice admitted.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, "You guys shower me with attention."

"Oh, Bella," Alice said, "We're sorry."

I laughed and looked back at them as I began walking forward.

"Whatever guys," I said before bumping into something again.

"Holy crap," I muttered, "Why do I keep doing that?"

I shook my head and a hand was offered to me. I looked up to see Edward Cullen.

"Oh," I said a little icily, "Edward. Sorry for bumping into you again."

"It's okay," he answered in his velvety smooth voice.

I rolled my eyes before standing up and brushing myself off.

"I didn't know you could dance like that," he said.

"Nobody did," I answered before running to Tyler, whose back was turned away from me.

I jumped onto his back and he caught me. I was laughing as he struggled to keep balance at first, though. When he finally regained his balance, though, he looked at me and grinned mischievously.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"You're gonna pay for that," he answered.

"How?"

"Like this," he answered and bent his knees before jumping really high.

I lost my grip on shoulders and I swear I flew about four feet in the air. I squealed but then Tyler caught me. He was grinning from ear to ear. I smacked his shoulder.

"You scared the hell out of me!" I complained.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes," I said and crossed my arms.

He set me down on my feet and I walked away from him towards Emmet, Jasper, Rose, Alice, and Edward. Halfway there, I turned to Tyler, getting on idea.

"I'm getting revenge," I told him.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah, tonight," I answered and turned around.

I eagerly walked up to Rose and Alice and told them my plan. I was going to torture Tyler at the party tonight. Rose and Alice agreed happily. The boys just laughed when they heard about my plan.

I looked up from talking to Alice and Rose and my gaze met Tyler's. I grinned evilly at him before turning back to Emmet, Jasper, Edward, Rose, and Alice.

Alice and Rose were already in discussion on how to make the plan go really, really well. I saw the boys looking at me weirdly.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"I still can't believe you can dance," Edward admitted and I glared at him.

"I didn't know you could dance with so much passion," Jasper mumbled and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You are going to give that Tyler a freakin' heart attack!" Emmet boomed.

I laughed but Rose and Alice turned to all of us.

"Tyler isn't the only guy whose heart is going to fail tonight," Alice said evilly.

"Ugh," I complained, "That means my outfit will include something strapless and butt-length."

"Of course," Rose said matter-of-factly.

I didn't usually like to wear too revealing clothes but I was going to torture the _hell_ out of Tyler tonight. My plan was to endlessly tease him through the whole night. This meant that I'd have to look and dance extra sexy.

Alice laughed and said, "Tyler isn't going to last through the night."

"He won't?" I asked skeptically.

I mean, even if I dressed sexy, that didn't mean I was. I mean, I'm still just plain Bella.

"Trust me," Alice said with a wicked glint in her eye, "He won't and neither will any of the single men at that party."


	2. ItsOkayItHappensToMeAllTheTime

I had to skip my secluded after class lessons that day because Alice and Rose absolutely insisted that they have at _least_ three hours to work on me. If I'd stayed, they'd only have 2 and a half hours to work on me. Stupid picky people. Rose and Alice insisted on going straight to my house after lessons ended.

They drove behind me and we arrived at my house in a few minutes. They immediately got out of their cars and rushed me upstairs.

"Shower," Alice ordered and threw a towel and a bathrobe at me.

"Aye, aye, captain!" I answered, saluting her and then ran, giggling, to the bathroom.

I took my time in the shower, letting the warm water massage my back and loosen my aching muscles. I ignored Alice's banging on the door and her incessant shouts to get out of the bathroom.

When I finally got out of the shower, Alice was practically trying to break down the door. I opened it, after wrapping a towel around myself, and she stumbled halfway into the bathroom. She glared at me before flinging a pair of underwear and a bra at me.

"Put those on," she said.

I rolled my eyes at her before slamming the door in my face. But that's when I got a good look at the undergarments she wanted me to wear.

"Alice!" I shrieked through the door, "I can't wear a red thong and the bra is too lacy!"

Sure enough, she had given me a lacy red thong and a very lacy strapless bra. I heard her and Rose giggling through the door.

"You guys suck!" I yelled.

I put on the undergarments reluctantly. Then, I pulled the robe on and walked out of the bathroom. Rose and Alice were by the closet, talking about outfits.

They turned to me and studied me. It made me feel self-conscious. Rose and Alice murmured something else and then Alice's face lit up.

"That's _perfect_!" she squealed.

Alice and Rose looked at me wickedly. And that's when the fear kicked in. Instead of turning around and sprinting into the bathroom, I just sighed and walked over to them.

They turned me around, making me confused, and led me to the vanity mirror. Ah, I realized, they wanted to do makeup first. I sighed. Rose work on my hair while Alice did my makeup. I just closed my eyes for this part, letting my tired eyes rest for the long night ahead.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alice announced that they were done. I opened my eyes and gasped.

"Holy hell!" I gasped.

My eyes looked accentuated by the light layer of gold eye shadow that framed the tops of my eyes. They were also framed in eyeliner and mascara-tipped eyelashes. Alice had applied a light layer of blush to my cheeks and had put a glossy red lipstick on my lips.

Rose had straightened my hair completely and teased it a little bit. I had to admit, I looked kinda hot. When I said that out loud, both Alice and Rose scowled at me.

"You are not just 'kinda hot'" Alice said.

"You're smoking," Rose said.

I smiled at the both of them. Then, they hauled me up and out of the chair and shoved me into the bathroom again, handing me what I figured was my outfit. I took a look at the articles of clothing and groaned out loud.

I sighed, and put the clothes on, because it was my idea in the first place… and what an idiotic idea it was, too. Once I put the clothes on, I walked out of the bathroom. Alice and Rose gasped at the sight of me and then laughed uncontrollably. I scowled.

"Do I look that horrible?" I asked slowly.

"No, it's just… you look so…." Alice said, trying to catch her breath.

"_Hot!_" Rose finished for her.

"And this is funny… how?" I asked.

"Because you must really want to torture this guy," Alice said.

I laughed too, but less hard than they were. When Alice and Rose calmed down, they led me to my closet again. Alice dug through my shoes before she gasped and a smile dawned on her face.

"These are _perfect!"_ she yelled.

She handed me black leather knee-high lace-up high-heeled boots. Rose laughed out loud. I looked hesitantly up at Alice and she nodded. I sighed and pulled on the boots. It took me a long time. I had to pull them on all the way to just below my knee and then I had to re-lace them tightly.

When I was finally done, I looked up to see that Rose and Alice had just finished dressing up and putting their make-up on. Silently, we all stepped in front of my full-body-length mirror.

Rose was stunning in a tight black dress that ended a few inches above her knees with ruby red stilettos. Alice was amazing in a yellow dress-shirt and black tights with matching yellow high heels.

I looked at my own reflection and whistled between my teeth. Alice had made me wear a tight blue tube top, which managed to look plain but sexy as it was tight and clearly showed that I had cleavage (which I was surprised I had), and a tight black leather skirt that ended just about an inch and a half below my butt.

Add that to my knee-high leather boots, and my legs looked long and showed the obvious muscle there. My butt looked amazing, and so did my chest. I had to admit, I really did look amazing.

"Accessories!" Alice announced and clapped.

I groaned and Alice glared at me. She silently handed me a long black plastic pearl necklace. I put it around my neck twice and then tightened one layer so that it was a choker and the rest of the necklace ended a few inches above my belly button. (Hope you guys know what I'm talking about here)

Then, I walked to my drawer and pulled out my own charm bracelet, which Charlie gave me for my birthday before he died. I put it on and smiled fondly at it. Alice and Rose were talking accessory options when the doorbell rang.

It must have been the boys. Alice and Rose had told them to pick all three of us up at my house at around 7. Sure enough, it was a quarter past seven. Alice yelled at them to come on in from upstairs.

I heard the door open and voices drifted up to us.

"Alice!" I heard Jasper call.

"Rose, baby!" Emmet yelled.

"Bella?" Tyler asked.

Alice, Rose, and I smirked. Taking one last glance at our reflections, we gave each other a knowing look. We high-fived each other before walking slowly down the stairs. Alice practically twirled her way down the stairs and to Jasper. I swear Rose hurled herself at Emmet once she reached the bottom.

I, sticking to the plan, walked slowly down the stairs. I heard two gasps and looked up, confused. I saw Tyler with his jaw hanging open as his eyes raked over my body. I looked around and saw a wide-eyed Edward staring at me too.

I tried not to smirk at Tyler's face and I tried not to snap at Edward's face. I just took a deep breath and walked down the rest of the steps. I walked right up to Tyler and smiled up at him. He leaned down to kiss me but I turned my head and he kissed my cheek.

He looked confused. I just winked at him, took his hand in mine, and began leading him out the door. The others followed behind us. I felt my skirt ride up a bit and then down again every time I took a step forward. I also felt Tyler's eyes on my legs.

I looked behind me to see that he, indeed, was. I gave him a small smirk before we stopped at a big blue van. It was Tyler's.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked excitedly.

"We're thinking about seating arrangements," Jasper said calmly.

"Easy," I said, "We'll all sit next to our date."

"Okay," Emmet said, "So, I'll go in first with Rosalie, then Jasper and Alice, then, Bella alone since Tyler will be driving, and then Edward and Tanya."

I turned around to look at Edward. He was staring at me and when he caught my eyes, he gave me a crooked smile. I rolled my eyes at him and looked to the girl ext to him. She was short and strawberry blonde but very cute. I gave her a small, shy smile but she glared at me with such a ferocity that almost made me stagger back.

I whipped my head around and wondered what I'd done to her. Then, Tyler's arms snaked their way across my waist. He pressed his lips to my neck and held me close to him. I blushed and kissed his forehead.

He moved to kiss my lips but I danced out of his reach.

"You're such a tease," he accused jokingly.

I gave him an innocent smile and answered, "And proud of it."

Emmet clambered into the car and Rose followed gracefully after him. Then, Jasper climbed in and Alice followed. I climbed in next and Edward followed after me. Tanya slid in easily next to Edward and snuggled up to him. I saw Tyler get into the driver's seat.

Then, we were on our way. Rose and I started talking about some of her relatives' previous parties. We were laughing and more than a few spanish words slipped into our conversation. Everyone else in the car was looking at us like we were crazy. I just grinned at them.

"Rose is half latino," I explained, "Her mom is where she gets her spanish blood. I'd gone to a lot of her relatives' parties, even since before we befriended you Cullens. But, this is the first party of her latino relatives that I've gone to in a while."

"Yeah," Rose said, giggling, "We had a lot of good times there. Remember one of my uncles who kept squeezing your butt? And remember when Ricky taught you how to dance reggaeton?"

"Oh my god," I gasped, "Ricky's hand were _everywhere_! And we were only, what? Around 14-ish, I think."

"Yeah," Rose agreed, "It was pretty sick but at least you learned how to dance reggaeton really well."

I nodded in agreement. Everyone, excluding Tyler who had to keep his eyes on the road and Jasper who was smiling since he remember, too, was looking at Rose and me with confused expressions.

"Uh," I asked, "Does anybody else in here know how to dance reggaeton?"

Everybody shook their hands. Rose, Jasper and I looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Oh, man," I said through my laughter-induced tears, "You guys are in for a huge treat tonight, then."

Eventually, Rose and Jasper had to stop laughing to give Tyler directions. It didn't take us too long to get to Rose's house. She, Jasper and I didn't live that far from each other. Once there, I saw that her backyard's canopy was decorated with lights. I was so excited that I practically climbed over everybody to get out of the van first.

Once out, I fixed my skirt, which had ridden up dangerously in my haste, I grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled her to her backyard. Everyone got out quickly, trying to keep up with me. They were laughing at me, though. I ignored them and kept dragging Rosalie to her backyard.

I opened the door that led to her backyard. I threw open the door, harder than I intended, and it flew open with a loud bang. Everyone, and there were at least 90 people at first glance, turned to look at me. I saw heard someone gasp and was immediately enveloped in a very tight, motherly hug.

I looked at the person holding me and realized it was Jazz and Rose's mom, Elaida. I squealed and hugged her back tightly.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, "How have you been? I haven't seen you in ages."

"I've been great," I answered, "And you, Tia El? It really has been so long."

"I've been good, too, Bella," she said, letting me go, "And I've missed you."

I laughed heartily, "I missed you too."

She laughed too and shooed me with her hands.

"Eat," she ordered, "Then, go talk, dance, and have some fun. You know the drill."

"Yes," I answered, "I do. Unfortunately, we have quiet a few new friends and you'll have to explain the drill to them."

She laughed again.

"I better get started then," she said.

Instead of following her instructions, I stayed and waited while the others were introduced and given their instructions. I could tell by their faces that they liked Rose's mom. It wasn't hard to like her, she was really nice.

Once introductions were over, Tyler came over to me and put a hand around my waist. I smiled up at him. Emmet did the same to Rose and Jasper did the same to Alice. Rose, Jazz and I, then, started flitting around the party and said hi to her relatives.

When we came across Ricky, Rose and I squealed and then ran to him, both of us throwing around arms around him. He hugged us both tightly before letting us go.

"Ah," he said, "Bella, how've you been, chica blanca?"

"I've been really good. How 'bout you, Ricky? It's been a _long_ time," I answered.

"I've been good, too, Bells. Save a dance for me later?" he asked hopefully, flicking his gaze to Tyler for a second before coming back to me.

"Sure," I answered, "None of the guys that came with us can dance reggaeton so I'm stuck with you as my partner."

"What a wonderful way to put it, eh, chica blanca?" he said.

I stuck my tongue out at him and waved goodbye. I was hungry. I dragged Tyler to the long table that had all kinds of food on it. Tamales, burritos, tacos, carne asada and other latino delicacies on one side of the table, and on the other there were a lot of mangoes and other fruits next to a huge jar of lemon chile. Also, there was a very large cooler of horchata.

Tyler watched me as I put food on my plate. I got two hard-shelled carne asada tacos and two tamales. Then, I put a bunch of fruit on my plate and piled on the lemon chile. Tyler was looking at me with an amused smirk. I walked to the table where I could see Alice, Jasper, Edward, Tanya, Emmet and Rose were already sitting at and eating.

I sat down with Tyler and began to chow down. Emmet laughed at how fast I ate.

"Chew, Bella. Damn," he said, "I didn't know a girl like you could eat like that."

"I'm a dancer," I said, raising my chin, "If I starve myself, I won't be able to do all that pretty stuff you guys saw me do today."

Alice and Rose laughed.

"That's just one way of saying that Bella is always hungry after she dances," Alice said laughing.

I threw her a mock glare and said, "Well, excuse me for not wanting to faint the next time I dance."

"That only happened once!" Alice exclaimed.

"Yeah, and it better not happen again," I said sternly.

We were referring to this one time where Alice had skipped dinner, breakfast, and lunch because of some huge project that was due. She'd fainted during dance lessons, giving everyone a huge scare.

She rolled her eyes at me and we all continued to eat, throwing jokes at everyone and anyone. It was funny. I was having a really good time. When I was done eating, I just leaned back in my chair and talked. After a while, I felt someone tap my shoulder.

I looked up to see Ricky grinning down at me.

"Ready to dance?" he asked.

"Uh," I answered, "Only if Rose is on the dance floor with someone else too."

Rose sighed and got up. She grabbed her cousin, Theo's, hand and dragged him to the designated area for dancing. It was just a large rectangle that was perimetered off by low ropes. Rose and I got to the dance floor just as a song started to play.

He put both of his hands on my hips and I put my arms around his neck. We swayed to the beat of the music and then he began to step and I followed his lead. He stepped back, making me stepped forward and again, then he stepped forward which made me step backward and we continued.

We started to salsa and Ricky got closer to me. Then, he began to move his hips. I followed his lead and we danced like that around the floor. Then, I began doing the Rubber Legs and Ricky laughed before following behind me as I danced around the floor.

Ricky then grabbed my hips and pulled me into his chest, but keeping me facing forward. He began to grind into me and I blushed but grind back a little. I flicked a glance to Tyler and saw him staring at me open-mouthed. I winked at him an started dancing again.

Ricky quickly spun me around and brought me to his chest again, but this time we were facing each other. We began to dance the cha cha. We just danced and had fun and I'd occasionally lock eyes with Tyler when I was doing a particularly sexy move.

I'd blush when I looked away though. I'm not always so straightforward and seductive. It was just payback, as I said earlier. And it looked like my plan was working.

After a few songs, Ricky and I exited the dance floor, laughing uncontrollably. We walked back to the table and I went to go sit down next to Tyler when he grabbed my hips and made me sit down in his lap. Ricky walked off somewhere else, smiling mischievously.

I twisted around to say hi to Tyler but then he kissed me. I kissed him back shyly. He grinned against my mouth. I rolled my eyes and shoved against his chest playfully. He put his arms around my waist and left them there.

I smiled at him.

"Damn," he said, "That was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen."

"And that's saying something, isn't it Tyler? Seeing as you got that lifetime account on that one porn site," Emmet said.

Everybody but Tyler laughed. Tyler just glared at Emmet. Then, Rose came back. She sat in Emmet's lap too. We all just talked and joked around for an hour or so.

After a while, we heard feedback from a microphone. Everyone turned to see Ricky in the middle of the dance floor with a mic in his hand. He was staring at the table we were sitting at.

"Excuse me," he said into the microphone to get everyone's attention.

It didn't work. In fact, everybody just seemed to talk louder. Ricky looked annoyed.

"Excuse me," he said into the microphone again, a little louder this time.

Once again, the voices swelled and Ricky snapped.

"Hey," he shouted, "Adelantado, individuos. Escuchar para arriba los motivos de dios. Jesucristo." (Translation: Come on, guys. Listen up for God's sakes. Jesus Christ.)

Everyone immediately shut up and Rose and I shared a glance before bursting into laughter. Ricky, who I thought would have been mad at us, just smirked. That shut me up. Ricky only smirked when he was up to something…

"Well," he said, "We have a special bilingual performance tonight by our very own Rose Hale and our resident chica blanca, Bella Swan."

Rose and I snapped to attention.

"Excuse me?" I asked at the same time Rose said, "Tienes que embromarme." (Translation: You have got to be kidding me)

Ricky laughed into the microphone and said, "Yeah, chicas. Remember that one party so long ago when you two performed that song by Christina Aguilera? Bella sang parts of the song in English and Rose sang parts of the song in spanish."

My jaw dropped. "Come on Over?" I asked incredulously at the same time Rose asked, "Ven Conmigo?" (Translation: Come on Over)

"Yes," Ricky said, rolling his eyes, "And they will be honored to sing it again for us."

"We will?" I asked dryly.

Then, everyone in the backyard chanted Rose's and my name loudly. I groaned and so did Rose. Rose was the first to get up. She stood from Emmet's lap and walked to me, holding out her hand. I grabbed it and we walked hand in hand towards the dance floor.

Everyone clapped and I blushed. Rose and I made it to the center of the dance floor. Ricky handed us each a microphone and the music started. I swayed to the beat a little. Then we began to sing.

**Rose** and _Bella _(Also, english is Bella and spanish is Rose)

"_Come on over, come on over baby_  
**Ven Conmigo, Ven Conmigo baby  
Es hoy la ocasión  
Tengo listo el corazón  
Vienes tú, ah  
Ya la fiesta comenzó  
Bailaremos sin control, ohh**

**Amor, llegó  
La noche de los dos  
Razón, de amar  
Y de celebración  
Juntos, tú y yo  
Hasta que ilumine el sol  
Escúchame**

_(All I want is you) come over here baby  
(All I want is you) you make me go crazy  
(All I want is you) yow baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right all I want is you_

_Come on over, come on over, baby (ooh)  
Come on over, come on over, baby (oh yeah)_

_I want you to know you could be the one for me  
Yes, you could (yes, you could)  
You've got all I'm looking for you've got personality, ooh oh  
I know (I know) you know (you know)  
(I'm gonna give more) give me more  
But boy you know I never felt this way before  
So, boy won't you come  
Won't you come and open the door  
Listen to me_

**Solamente tú, acércate a verme  
Solamente tú, oh, porque me enloqueces  
Solamente tú, no me hagas esperar  
Contigo quiero estar  
Ser tuya nada más  
Solamente tú**

**Ven conmigo, ven conmigo baby (4x)  
Ohh...  
Ohhh yeah, ohh  
No temor es amor, amor**

_Now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right  
I, I, I, yeah... _

(Here, we began to sing the last chorus of the song together, but in different languages still)

_(All I want is you) baby  
(All I want is you) ooh, you make me go crazy, oh  
(All I want is you) now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right 'cause all I want is you_

_(All I want is you) oh yeah, yeah  
(All I want is you) you make me go crazy, oh  
(All I want is you) now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right 'cause all I want is you_

**Solamente tú, amor!  
Solamente tú, oh, tu amor me enloqueces  
Solamente tú, oh oh, no me hagas esperar  
Contigo quiero estar  
Soy tuya nada más  
Solamente tú**

**Solamente tú, ohh...  
Solamente tú, amor, no ooh...no!  
Solamente tú, no me hagas esperar  
Contigo quiero estar  
Soy tuya nada mas  
Solamente tú**

Rose and I finished with a flourish. We bowed and then walked quickly back to our seats. Everyone in the backyard was clapping, whistling, and shouting. It was really embarrassing.

Back at the table, where I expected the cheering to be its loudest, everyone was quiet. That struck me as odd.

"What's wrong, guys?" I asked.

I looked around the table and saw that Tyler was missing.

"Where's my date?" I asked.

"Well, Bella," Alice said, all of her usual giddiness gone, "He kinda went off with…"

I knew that tone. It was the same tone Rose had used on me the last few times it happened.

"Let me guess," I sighed, sitting down in a chair and putting my head in my hands, "He went off with another girl and now you have no idea where he is nor what he's doing."

"How'd you guess?" Alice asked.

"It tends to happen to me a lot," I said, shrugging, "Men don't really like me."

I looked back down at the table and sighed. It was true. I was always being cheated on and it hurt me. I mean, most of the sting would go away, but it still hurt, you know. And every single time, I would take a blow to my confidence. Everyone was silent.

"I am going to go kick that sorry bastard's ass!" Emmet announced, standing up.

"No, no, no!" I said, motioning for Rose to pull him back into his seat.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Jasper asked, apparently furious too.

"It's okay," I said, "It isn't his fault. It's mi-" I said but before I could finish, Rose cut me off.

"Don't you _dare_ say it's your fault again," Rose said angrily.

I sighed and answered, "But it is, Rose."

"It is not your fault that all the men you date are pigs," Jasper said angrily.

"If I hadn't chosen the wrong guys in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. Besides, if I wasn't so… I dunno… plain, maybe guys would want to stick with me," I said.

"Not this again," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"Seriously," Jazz said, "Bella, you really need to see yourself clearer."

"I see myself just fine, Jazz," I said, "I'm a plain-looking teenager who can't go out with the same guy for two dates in a row without finding out that he was already with another girl."

"Bella," Rose said, enunciating each word carefully, "Stop it. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

I laughed and everybody looked at me like I was crazy.

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself," I said, "I told you, it's happened many times before. It doesn't matter."

"Bella," Alice asked softly, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No," I answered, "Of course not. I'm fine."

"Not physically, emotionally," Alice corrected.

"Oh," I said.

"It doesn't hurt at all that Tyler is off with some other girl?" she asked.

I looked down at the table with a bitter smile.

"Why should it?" I answered, "He would obviously still have been here if he was really into me. Or maybe I did something wrong… I don't know. I guess I always do something wrong on dates."

I shrugged.

"That's not what I asked," Alice said, "I asked if you were emotionally hurt."

"Sure, Alice," I answered, "It hurts a little. I mean, it doesn't exactly help my already dwindling self-confidence, but it's alright. I'll survive. I've managed to get over this about five times before and I can do it again."

"Five times?" Emmet asked incredulously.

I nodded.

"Why?" Emmet yelled.

"I don't know," I said.

Everyone was staring at me with pity in their eyes. I snorted and then they looked shocked.

"Don't feel sorry for me," I said, "I told you before, I'm okay. Stuff like this doesn't really touch me."

I stood up and made an excuse to get a drink, ignoring the fact that my heart was screaming at my brain for announcing that big, fat lie.


	3. NotThatIntoTheWholeBloodAndGoreThing

**Review pleeeeeeaaase!**

**Oh, and just a quick translator note for the last chapter.**

**Chica blanca basically means white girl. :]**

**-Jules  
**

* * *

As I walked to the makeshift bar, a table with a blender and various bottles of alcohol, I thought about what I told my friends. It was completely true that I always seemed to do something wrong around men.

Men always cheated on me. I learned to push most of the pain away into a corner in my brain. But still, some of the pain registered. And I always felt like I wasn't good enough when something like this happened.

I sighed and told the "bartender," Rose and Jasper's uncle, to please get me a virgin margarita. He happily obliged and gave me the strawberry (Non alcoholic, keep in mind) margarita in a plastic cup.

I smiled and held the cup up to him for a second as thanks. He smiled back and I walked away, to a dark corner of the backyard. Rose and Jazz had a jacuzzi somewhere around here and I wanted to find it.

I finally found it in one of the farther corners of the backyard. I sat down by the edge, unlaced my boots, not caring that it would take me forever to get them back on, and slowly dipped my legs into the water.

The water wasn't too cold and it wasn't hot. In fact, it was the perfect temperature. I moved my legs back and forth gently in the water, reveling in the feel of the warm water around my aching feet.

I sighed. I didn't let any thoughts fully form and show themselves in my brain but the slight sting in my heart was still there. I sighed again, wanting to forget about all my horrible experiences with guys.

I don't know how long I stayed with my legs in the pool. But, once my toes started feeling all weird, indicating that they were starting to go all prune-y, I pulled my legs out. I was about to start pulling on my lace up boots when I heard shouting and the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh.

I started and then ran to the light-flooded backyard, my boots abandoned by the jacuzzi. As soon as I stepped into the lit part of the backyard, I saw two boys in a brawl not two yards away from me.

I tried to recognize the faces and as I looked closer, I realized it was Tyler and Edward. Edward was saying something to Tyler and Tyler looked pissed.

"You think you can just cheat on someone like that?" Edward yelled.

"Oh, yeah," Tyler said sarcastically, "Says the guy who sleeps with half the dance school's female population at a time."

Edward's expression was full of pure rage. I started to run towards them but the wet grass wasn't doing much for my balance.

Tyler and Edward kept shouting insults at each other, also letting out long strings of cusses pour from their mouths.

"Hey!" I shouted, but they didn't pay attention to me.

I was about a foot and a half away from the boys, hollering to try to get them to stop. No one was bleeding yet, for which I was glad. I hated the sight and smell of blood ever since the Charlie incident…

"HEY!" I screamed again.

They still didn't stop. They were shoving each other back and forth. No punches had been thrown, neither had there been any kicks. It was just a lot of shoving.

"How could you do that to my sister's best friend!" Edward shouted.

Oh. I just realized that they'd been fighting over me. Wait. What? Me? Uh… rewind and replay, please.

"Like you haven't gotten tired of a girl either," Tyler retorted.

So that was what happened. He'd gotten tired of me. Ouch. The sting in my chest flared briefly.

"You're going down, Crowley," Edward said, before he brought his fist back and then launched it forward, hitting Tyler square in the nose.

Blood spurted from his nose. And shit, I started hyperventilating. Then, Tyler brought his own fist back and punched Edward in the gut. Now, it was becoming a full-on fist fight.

The two boys were throwing punches like mad and they were starting to bleed. They were circling and punching, so the next time Tyler punched Edward in the nose, Edward was standing a few feet away from me, with his back to me.

Somehow, some of the blood from Edward's nose ended up splattering on my cheek. At first, I had no clue what it was. I thought some bird had pooped on me, or something. So, I brought my hand up to wipe it across my cheek.

When I looked down at my hand, I saw a small smear of blood on my hand. And then I was lost in a nightmare flashback.

Racing downstairs, seeing Charlie lying in a pool of his own blood, running to him and grabbing the knife that had been in his hand, screaming and crying. Once the flashes ended, though, I saw the image of Charlie as I had last seen him, dead and bleeding on the floor.

I felt my knees hit the grass and I vaguely registered people calling my name. My breath was coming in short, painful rasps.

_God,_ I thought. _All that blood. All of that blood. Charlie. Oh, Charlie._ My mind raced in circles. My eyes were closed and I knew I was on my knees. I brought my shaking hands to my head and rocked back and forth.

Make it go away. Make it go away.

"Bella," I heard Rose say from what felt like a distance, "Bella. Snap out of it. It's not real, Bella. The blood isn't real. Snap out of it. Come on, Bells. I know you can do this. Just snap the fuck out of it!"

I took a shuddering breath and blew it out. I took three more and I came back down to earth. I realized that I was on my knees in the grass and Rose had thrown her arms around me. I let my hands fall from my head down to my sides. Rose breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed me again.

Everyone in the backyard had turned to look at who broke down. Rose took my hand in hers and squeezed it encouragingly. I looked at her and I knew she could see the pain in my eyes.

"Rose," I said in a broken voice, even to me, "Rose, the blood-"

"I know, baby," she said, hugging me again, "I know."

Rose and Jazz were the only ones who knew about the whole Charlie incident. Rose was the one who knew the full story whereas Jazz just knew the facts that the police knew. I confided in Rose one day when she and I watched a very gory movie while Jazz was out, and she'd taken care of me around blood since.

"Rose," I sobbed, just realizing that tears were pouring down my face.

"Oh, Bella," she said, "I know. I'm sorry I didn't stop them earlier."

"Not your fault," I muttered, into her shoulder, "I'm too weak."

"Anybody would have reacted like this after what you've been through," she said.

Then, three more voices were calling my name. I looked up to see Emmet, Alice, and Jazz running towards us. Jazz went immediately to my side but Emmet and Alice questioned Rose.

Rose kept throwing glances at me, checking to see if her explanation was okay. I'd nod to her to tell her to keep going. She never mentioned what truly happened with my dad, for which I was grateful.

Meanwhile, Jazz was by my side, hugging me to his chest (in a brotherly fashion, of course). I looked around for Edward and Tyler. I couldn't see Tyler anywhere but Edward was just walking out of the house with an ice pack. His girlfriend, Tanya, was by his side.

I let my eyes wander around the backyard and the sky, finally focusing on the moon in the night sky. I breathed deep, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

"Should we get her some alcohol to lighten her up?" Emmet asked.

"No," Rose answered, "She hates alcohol. Let her breathe for a while."

And they waited for me to snap out of it. I don't know how long it actually was, but I' pretty sure it at least took me an hour to finally really register my surroundings.

Alice, Emmet, Jazz, and Rose all had their arms around me. I noticed that Edward and Tanya were making out heatedly not too far away from the rest of us.

"Shouldn't you guys be home already?" I asked quietly.

"If you want us to go, we can…" Alice said uneasily.

"No," I said quickly, "No, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that it's late. You guys should go home, you know, sleep."

"Are you okay?" Emmet asked.

"Fine," I sighed.

"Are you sure?" Emmet questioned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

"Because you went comatose on Jazz and Rose's backyard lawn from a tiny drop of blood," Alice answered.

I flinched but answered smoothly, "I've had… bad… experiences… with blood."

"As in…?" Alice prompted.

I stuttered, trying to find an answer. I couldn't tell them just yet about my past. I didn't fully trust all of them, yet. I mean, they're great and all. I love them to death, but it took me forever to tell Rose. I wasn't ready to tell five other people right off the bat. Luckily, Rose spoke for me.

"Just… really bad experiences," Rose said with a note of finality in her tone.

Everything was quiet for a moment.

"Well," I said jokingly, breaking the silence, "This isn't awkward at all…"

"Most definitely," Alice said sarcastically.

"Rose," I asked, "Would your mother mind if I slept over?"

"I doubt it. Why?" she answered.

"I don't really… wanna… go home," I said quietly.

"Sure," she answered, "If Alice can, she can too. It'll be fun."

Jasper groaned and we all turned to look at him.

"What?" I asked, amusement coloring my tone.

"I'm going to be stuck in a house with three girls," he complained.

"Oh stop complaining," I scolded, "One of those girls is one of you best friends, another of those girls is your sister, and the other is your girlfriend. Suck it up. But, if it makes you feel better, you can ask if Emmet and Edward can sleep over too."

"Girls," he complained under his breath.

Alice, Rose, and I turned to glare at him in unison. He threw up his hands in surrender once he saw all of our glares and we burst into laughter.

I was feeling better now and my wooziness and the twisting in my gut had gone away. Everyone helped me up and we walked into Rose's house. I collapsed onto the couch while Emmet, Edward, and Alice called their parents to get permission.

I looked around for Tanya, but didn't see her anywhere. Someone must have taken her home or something. I waited for everyone to get situated. Jazz and Rose were carrying down tons of sleeping bags to the living room.

The party was still going on outside but we didn't have to worry about everyone coming inside because the house was off limits unless you had one of the people who actually lived there accompanying you.

When Jazz and Rose were finished bringing down the sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows, I made room for them to sit with me. We waited in silence for the other three to come back.

Alice danced into the room happily. Edward and Emmet followed behind her.

"They said sure!" Alice squealed.

"Cool," Rose said, "So… movie?"

Everyone agreed and we put in Scary Movie 4. We were laughing like crazy by the time it ended. Next, we watched Run, Fat boy, Run. It was hilarious. I was practically in tears when it was over. We watched five movies in all before everyone knocked out.

I, of course, didn't fall asleep. I didn't like to sleep. I always had horrible nightmares, so I'd stay up for as long as I could before falling asleep and not dreaming from exhaustion. It's unhealthy, I know, but I couldn't stand the feelings my nightmares gave me.

So, I stayed awake, staring up at the dark ceiling. Somehow, during the night, Alice, Rose, and I ended up on the one long couch. I was in the middle while Rose was sleeping next to me and Alice was sleeping horizontally on top of both of us with her feet hanging over the back of the couch and her head hanging over the other side of the couch, almost touching the floor.

Her neck would hurt like hell when she woke up. I sighed and wiggled out from underneath Alice and over Rose, which wasn't really easy. I was trying not to wake either them but I guessed they were far too under to notice. I gently moved Alice so that she was lying on the couch next to Rose.

I sighed quietly and walked into the kitchen. I didn't bother turning the light on. Instead, I walked straight to the refrigerator and began digging for some milk. I thought I saw a shadow move behind me but when I turned to look, it was gone.

I shrugged and went back to digging. I finally found it in the back of the fridge and lifted it out.

I turned back to the counter to see a human-shaped shadow leaning against it, watching me. I cursed out loud and almost dropped the milk. The shadow flicked on the lights and I saw that it was just Edward.

I breathed a sigh of relief and I felt a wave of tiredness go through me. I took a deep breath and glared at Edward.

"God," I said quietly, "Can you not do that to me?"

"It's too fun," he answered.

I rolled my eyes at him before setting the milk on the counter next to him and reaching into one of the cupboards for a glass.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, seeming amused.

"Nah," I answered, "More like I don't sleep."

"At all?" he seemed surprised.

"Not much, actually," I corrected.

"Interesting. Why not?" he asked.

"What about you?" I questioned, changing the subject.

"Can't sleep," he answered.

"So what happened with Tyler?" I asked, purely curious.

"I don't know. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way, I guess," he answered.

I shrugged, poured myself a half glass of milk and downed it in three gulps. I put the glass in the sink and washed it, putting it in the drying rack next to the sink.

I felt Edward's eyes on me. After a few seconds of awkward silence, I turned to him.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

He just shrugged and walked back into the living room. After a few minutes of standing in the kitchen in silence, I followed Edward into the living room.

I felt exhausted from my day. I should be tired enough not to dream now, I realized. So, not registering that Edward wasn't in the room, I slid into a sleeping bag and closed my eyes, waiting for my blissful, dreamless sleep to come.

Too bad, that's not what fate had in store for me.


	4. OhMyGodWhatDaHellJustHappened

I vaguely registered that what I was seeing was a dream. Or maybe I should call it a memory. Yeah, that's what it was: a memory resurfacing while I slept, a flashback, if you will.

_I was lying down on my bed, reading a magazine and listening to music. I was thinking about what Rose, Jazz, and I were going to do later. Rose and Jazz were supposed to sleep over and I was definitely eager._

_Then, even through my earphones, I heard Charlie from downstairs._

"_Bel-!" he shouted, but then was cut off by a very loud thump. _

_And then there was a weird squishy sound. I was immediately alert. Charlie had sounded panicked. I may have been 8 years old, but I knew when one of my parents was freaking out._

_I quickly put down my magazine and took out my earphones. I walked quietly out of my room and down the hall. At the top of the stairs, I was hit by a god-awful smell._

_It smelled like salt and rust. _What _is_ that, _I thought. I walked down the rest of the stairs and was greeted by the most gruesome sight ever._

_Charlie lay, open-eyed but unseeing at the ceiling, sprawled on the living room floor. At first, I was confused. I saw something glint from the corner of my eye as I walked to Charlie._

_I saw that he was lying in a pool of crimson liquid. I wondered what it was. I slipped on some of it and landed in more of it. I realized that it was what the smell was coming from._

_I looked at Charlie's hand and saw that a knife was in it. It, too, was covered in the crimson liquid. I looked up as I heard footsteps on the wood flooring. When I looked up, I saw a person dressed in all black, wearing a ski mask._

_The person was advancing towards me, a knife in his hand. That's when I let out a loud scream. The person looked at the open back door in panic and then looked back at me. He seemed to make a decision._

_He ran out the open back door. I looked back to Charlie. He still lay unmoving. I crawled to him, getting that stupid red liquid all over me. I began shaking Charlie, telling him to wake up._

_I remember crying and yelling his name, still shaking him, trying to get him to wake up. Then, the police burst into the front door. They started yelling things. _

"_Damn," one of them said, "That little girl is covered in all of his blood. You think she did it?"_

_That officer was talking to another officer. I didn't know their names. _Oh,_ I thought incoherently, _That red stuff was Charlie's blood. _I stiffened and started crying louder._

"_I don't know," another of them said, "It could have been but I don't think she even knows he's dead."_

"_He's dead!?" I screamed._

"_It's okay, kid," one of the officers said, "Calm down."_

_He tried to walk over to me but I threw a tantrum. I started hitting the air between him and me every time he got close to me. I screamed and cried too. All of the officers were looking at me like I was crazy._

_But could you blame me? My dad had just died. Oh, god. My. Dad. Was. Dead. I started crying even harder. _

_Then, I felt arms go around me. I struggled and screamed. Someone, but I couldn't see who, was calling my name._

And then, I sat bolt upright screaming bloody murder, crying my eyes out. I stopped screaming and shut my eyes, curling into a ball.

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath, "Shit!"

That was when I realized two steel-muscled arms were around me, restraining me. I let out a few sobs and Emmet, who was holding me, pulled me into his chest. I cried and cried from having to relive that nightmare.

When I was done crying, I took shaky breaths. I looked outside and saw that it was still dark, probably around 3 or 4 in the morning. I looked around the room to see everyone awake.

"Crap," I said, my throat sore, "I'm really sorry guys. I had… I had a nightmare. You guys should go back to bed."

"Are _you_ going back to bed?" Alice asked.

I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

"Then, we won't either," she said firmly.

"Don't be ridiculous. You guys are exhausted. I'll be fine," I said.

I stood up and the room swayed. I felt the ground tilt up to meet my face but then Emmet caught me. He was looking at me worriedly. In fact, everyone was.

I sighed and waved them off. Emmet hesitantly put me down. I took a few experimental steps forward before walking into the kitchen.

"Sleep," I told them as I left the living room.

I walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. I cursed once under my breath. I was shaking really badly. I raked trembling fingers through my hair.

I quickly walked to the sink and began scrubbing my hands as if they still had blood on them. Then, I washed my face. My head ached and I felt exhausted.

"You okay?" a voice asked from behind me.

I gasped and spun behind me. The room swayed again but I righted myself on the counter.

"Crap, can you stop _doing_ that?" I demanded furiously at Edward who stood by the kitchen door.

He chuckled and walked up to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Don't change the subject," I scolded.

"And don't _you_ change the subject either," he retorted.

"Touché," I admitted.

"Are you?" he pressed.

"Yes," I answered curtly.

"Are you sure?" he questioned again.

"Yes," I said, rolling my eyes.

"What were you dreaming of?" he asked.

"My dad," I said softly.

"Oh," Edward said.

I went on, "The day he died."

"What happened?" Edward asked, seeming interested.

I don't know why I did it. I don't know how I did it. But I told Edward the story of my Dad's murder, including how the officers thought that _I_ was the one who killed Charlie, which was completely insane.

I told him _everything_. By the time I was done, I couldn't tell which one of us was more shocked. He because of my shocking tale or me because of how I'd just spilled my soul to someone I didn't even like that much.

It was quiet between Edward and me for a moment. We were both looking away from the other. I felt more tears spill from my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I finally said, "I shouldn't have told you anything. Forget what I just told you."

I tried to walk around him to the living room but he caught me in a fierce hug.

"It's okay," he said, "I won't say anything to anybody. I swear."

Then, he walked into the living room. I stayed, stunned, in the kitchen.

Had I really just told Edward Cullen, a player whom I just tolerated, my whole life story?

I didn't want to think about it. I sighed, walked into the living room, and plopped onto the floor. Everyone, excluding Edward (I had no idea where he was), was back to sleep. I opted to watch TV while everyone rested.

For 6 more hours, I watched mindless TV, refusing to let my mind wander. Everyone woke up at 10, so that's when I turned my attention to them. Alice and Rose were looking at me worriedly.

"You have bags under your eyes," Alice said.

"Did you go back to sleep at all?" Rose asked.

"Damn, Bella," Emmet said, "You seriously look like crap."

"No," I said quietly.

"No, you don't look like crap?" Emmet asked.

I chucked a pillow at him and it hit him square in the face.

"No, I didn't go back to sleep at all, you douche," I answered.

"Jeez," Jasper said, "Someone's cranky."

"Shut up," I muttered.

Then, I shook my head and looked up at everyone.

"Sorry," I said, "Tiny bit sleep-deprived here."

"You have an excuse," Alice said, "So it's okay."

I looked around the room. I saw that it was already almost 11. Lessons on weekends started at 12:30, so I told everyone to get ready before we had to go. I ran up the stairs to Jazz's room.

Jazz already set aside one of his button down shirts and sweatpants for me. Whenever I stayed over at their house, Jazz usually let me borrow his clothes. It was nice of him to save me the trouble of going through his drawers.

I grabbed the clothes and ran to the bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth (I already had a toothbrush here from previous sleepovers). When I was done, I put my hair into a messy bun before pulling on my clothes.

Jazz's button down was a little snug around my chest, but whatever. I didn't care. I ran downstairs.

"Everyone ready?" I asked

I heard a chorus of "yeah's".

"We should take Jazz's car. It's a five-seater. Alice can sit in someone's lap if she has to," I said.

"We don't have to," Jazz said.

"I thought there were six of us," I said.

"Edward went ahead," Emmet answered.

"Oh," I said, suddenly getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, "For what?"

"He said he had to do something," Alice answered.

I shrugged and we all ran outside. We climbed into the car and drove off. As we got closer to the dance school, the feeling in my stomach grew worse and I kept receiving worried glances from Alice. She seemed just as stressed as I.

The reason that I had that feeling in my stomach was easily visible half a block from the dance school. When I saw the school, I felt my stomach drop to my butt and my heart jump to my throat.

Everyone was deathly quiet as we pulled into the parking lot of the now ruined school. I started hyperventilating when I was close enough to read what was on the walls of the school.

"What the hell happened here?!" Emmet yelled.

I surveyed the damage to the school. Words were spray-painted everywhere on the front walls of the school. Toilet paper hung everywhere and you could see the distinct yellow and white coloring of eggs that were thrown at the wall, as well as the red and green colors of rotten fruits and vegetables that were thrown as well.

The school was a complete mess and it broke my heart. But what was written on the walls made me lose it.

On the wall, "Swan is a murderer," was spray-painted all over the walls, over and over again, in red spray-paint.

* * *

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**I've been busy.**

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**Love you!**

**-Jules  
**


	5. HowDidItGetToBeLikeThis

All the students who had come to the school for weekend lessons were now staring at me as I numbly climbed out of the car to stare at the school. I vaguely registered the whispers that filled the air around me.

My first thoughts were along the lines of, "Holy hell! The school is a complete mess!" My second thoughts were along the lines of, "Who the hell would have done this?" I thought of all the people who knew about Charlie.

Just Mom, Rose, and… Edward. Could _Edward_ have done this? Mom wouldn't have done this to me and Rose couldn't have, she'd been with me the whole time we were at her house.

But Edward. Edward had gone to the school early because he said he had to do something. Could it have been? I mean, he's the most likely person, but should I really jump to conclusions?

Rose was the first one to react out of the five people I had driven with.

"What in _fuck's_ name is going on here?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Rose," I tried to choke out but it didn't really sound like anything.

I was in shock. My whole body was numb as well as my mind. My head wouldn't wrap around the fact that someone had betrayed me in the tenderest subject of my life.

Without realizing it, I walked straight up to the steps that lead to the school. Papers were littered on the stairs. I picked one up and saw that it was a copy of the article on Charlie's death, including a highlighted stanza that said his daughter, Isabella AKA me, was the prime suspect because no other evidence showed that it could have been anyone else.

I felt my butt hit the concrete of the steps and my head fell into my hands. The article included a picture of Charlie when he was alive and, for some reason, a picture of what he looked like when he died.

Seeing the picture where Charlie was alive made my heart lurch but seeing the picture where Charlie was dead made my stomach lurch. I ran to the bushes and proceeded to puke my guts up.

I didn't feel the tears in my eyes spill but when I felt someone pull my head back when I was still puking and I looked up, Rose was there. She wiped my wet cheeks and pulled me into a hug.

"I swear," she said, "I didn't do this and I didn't tell anybody. I have no idea who did this. I am so sorry, Bella."

"It's okay," I said, plastering a smile on my face.

"No, you're not Bella Swan," she said, "That smile is as fake as Michael Jackson's nose."

"I think it was Edward," I said suddenly.

"What?!" she shouted.

"I told him. I don't know why I did. I mean, I was just so tired this morning when I woke up from my nightmare and he was there and he said he wouldn't tell anyone. I didn't know he'd do something like this. Though, I mean, maybe he didn't do it. Maybe it was someone else who found it online or something but… Oh, god," I said.

I crumpled to the ground again. This whole incident was bringing up the feelings of blame that I put on myself back then. It was my fault. If I hadn't been preoccupied, I could have saved Charlie. If I moved faster than I had, I could have saved Charlie. If I-

My ranting was suddenly cut off my Rosalie.

"It's not your fault! I thought you got over that, Bella!" Rose yelled.

I hadn't realized I'd been talking aloud. Whoops. Nevertheless, it was my fault. I could have done more, but I didn't. Jesus Christ. I sighed and then I was suddenly hoisted into the air and being crushed in a rib-cracking hug.

"Bella," Emmet whined, crushing the hell out of me, "What's this all about? You're not a murderer, are you?"

Rose slapped him on the back of the head so hard that he let me go.

"Rose," he whined again, "That hurt."

"Well," she said, "Don't believe things that are completely insane and untrue!"

"Bella," Alice asked gently, "Can you explain this?"

"Well," I said, trying to joke but falling flat, "I certainly didn't do this."

"Bella," Alice repeated, sounding do concerned.

I caved and told them about Charlie and about telling Edward. I noticed that all the other dance school students had left already and only the headmaster remained. The headmaster, Mr. Banner (**AN: *shrugs*), **had also come up to me while I was telling my story.

When I was finished, Alice was crying and Jazz and Emmet looked ready to kill. My voice was carefully neutral, never wavering and never breaking, never betraying emotion. It was quiet for a few minutes after I finished.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Banner," I said, "I… I didn't mean to cause this."

When I said, "this" I gestured to the vandalized school. Mr. Banner sighed.

"It's okay," he said, "I'm actually a little more worried about you than the school. I'm not sure all of the other students know or want to know the whole story. You'll be the subject of school gossip for weeks."

"Let them give me their best shot," I said.

"Well, I have to go figure some stuff out, so I'll see you kids tomorrow," Mr. Banner said.

It was quiet for another few minutes. Then, Alice broke it.

"I'm never going to speak to that bastard ever again," she announced angrily.

"Who?" I asked.

"Edward," she said, "Who else?"

"Yeah," Emmet said, "And Jazz and I are kicking his ass."

"We don't know that he did this," I said.

"Yeah, but it most certainly seems like he did," Jazz said, sounding absolutely furious, "And I think we need some answers."

After Jazz finished his sentence, a silver Volvo pulled slowly into the parking lot. It parked and out stepped Edward and Tanya. Emmet immediately ran at Edward.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO PULL?!" he roared in Edward's face as he grabbed Edward by the collar, hoisting him up into the air.

"What are you talking about, man?" Edward asked.

"How could you do that to Bella!" Jazz yelled, walking purposefully towards Emmet and Edward.

"What are you talking about? Fuck," Edward said.

"We're talking about _that_," Emmet growled, pointing at the school.

"I didn't do that, man," Edward said, hands up in surrender.

"Like hell you didn't," Jazz retorted.

"You seriously have got some guts messing with a sweet girl like her," Emmet snarled menacingly.

"I'm telling you," Edward said, "I didn't do it."

"You little lying fuck!" Emmet roared, pulling his fist back.

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran and grabbed Emmet's arm, cradling it to my chest to stop it from surging forward top punch Edward.

"Em," I said, "Stop it please."

"Jazz," Emmet said, "Punch Edward for me."

Jazz brought his fist back and Edward closed his eyes. I cursed under my breath and threw myself in front of Edward. The fist meant for Edward hit my own jaw, sending me staggering back into him.

Everyone gasped as I shook my head to clear the stars. Edward had caught me.

"Dammit!" Emmet growled, "Don't touch her!"

"Says the guy who told the guy to punch her!" Edward retorted.

My jaw felt really weird and when I opened my mouth to talk, pain shot through my face.

"I told Jazz to punch _you_," Emmet growled.

"For doing nothing wrong," Edward added.

"No," Jazz snarled, "You betrayed Bella."

"I didn't do it!" Edward shouted.

"Stop lying, dammit!" Emmet roared back.

"Fucking shit!" I yelled, "Shut up! All of you, just stop it!"

Everyone was quiet. I breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly the world swayed. I felt the ground tilt up to meet my face, but before it could make contact, strong arms caught me.

"You're exhausted," Emmet said softly.

"I'm fine," I argued.

Emmet eyes skeptically and set me back down on my feet. I swayed again and he caught me once more.

"We should get you home," Jazz said equally quiet.

"No," I protested, "I need to help clean up the school."

"You can't, Bella," Rose said, walking up to me, "You can barely walk. You haven't had enough sleep and having to deal with all the emotion of this is just too exhausting, too much for one person, even for you, Bella."

I tried to protest but I couldn't make any coherent sentences. Exhausted, betrayed, and exasperated I burst into tears and started banging on Emmet's chest. Emmet just took it, cradling me to his chest like a baby.

We climbed into Jazz's car. I was still having my fit, protesting. After a few minutes in the car, we pulled into a driveway and I saw through blurry eyes that it was my own. I was still protesting when Emmet carried me into my house, but with less strength.

I was so exhausted. I finally stopped banging on Emmet's chest when he lay me down on my kind-sized bed. I felt other bodies climbing onto the bed but I was too tired to do anything about it.

I gleefully slipped into unconscious bliss.

* * *

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**-Jules  
**


	6. HolyCowWhatABreakDown

When I woke up, my jaw ached with a fury. I groaned and rolled over, and ended up rolling over a lump in my bed. This confused me so I jumped up and down a little.

"Jasper, what are you-?" I heard Alice's sleepy voice start, then she screamed so loud my hearing went for a few seconds.

"What the fuck are you doing on top of me, Bella?!" she yelled and then she gasped, "Bella? You're awake! That's great. Er… can you get off of me now?"

I grunted in response and rolled the other way. I ended up rolling on top of another mound. I was expecting Rose but instead, Emmet's head poked out from under the covers.

"Mmm, Rose," he began, "There are other people in the room. We can't-"

I cut him off with a scream. I scrambled over him and ended up falling off the bed at an odd angle, hitting my head on the floor before the rest of my body followed suit. A sharp pain lanced through my head and my hair suddenly felt wet.

I reached up to touch the sore spot on my head and it felt sticky. I pulled my fingers away to look and I saw that I was bleeding. I looked at where I had hit my head. One of the large rocks from my rock collection (Yes, I collect rocks. Deal with it) had ended up on the floor and I had fallen straight on it.

That wasn't good. I gasped and started screaming. Jasper and Rose, who had been on the bed too, stirred.

"What the hell?" Rose asked sleepily.

"Who's screaming?" Jasper questioned.

"I'm _bleeding_!" I yelled.

Everyone went into panic mode then.

"What the fuck?!" Rose cursed.

"Fell on a rock," I whimpered, trying to stand up but failing.

"Where?" Jasper demanded.

"On the floor?" I said, making it sound like a question.

"Where are you bleeding?" he clarified.

"My head," I whimpered.

Everyone cursed simultaneously and scrambled out of bed. Emmet scooped me up into his arms and carried me bridal style.

Everyone ran down the stairs ahead of Emmet and I. Emmet took care not to jostle me. He walked me outside and laid me in Jasper's car. Jazz handed me a towel and Rose, who was on my other side, pressed it to where I was bleeding.

I whimpered slightly at the pressure and she apologized. I waved her off and Alice (Yes, Jazz actually allowed Alice to drive) sped off to her place. Jazz was in the front passenger seat looking at me worriedly.

"Are you getting dizzy?" he asked.

"Not just ye-" I tried to say but then was hit with a wave of vertigo, "Oh, crap. Never mind. Yup, it just started."

"Okay, Bella," he said, "You're going to be okay. Just breathe."

"God, Jazz," I said, "You're making me sound pregnant. Relax, okay? This has happened before. I'll be okay."

But as soon as I finished, I got so dizzy and light-headed that my head lolled to the side.

"Alice," Rose said, sounding panicky.

"I'm driving as fast as I can," she said.

"Do we have another towel?" Emmet demanded.

Jazz handed Emmet another towel and Emmet handed it to Rose. Rose put the new one to my head. When she pulled the old hand-towel back, I saw that it was already soaked.

My eyes started to drift close and I tried fighting them, but they kept drifting.

"Alice! She's falling asleep!" Emmet yelled.

I heard the engine _vroom_ and felt the car lurch forward. After five minutes of brutal battle with my eyelids, Alice came to an abrupt stop. Everyone scrambled out of the house and Emmet practically sprinted to the Cullen's household.

I couldn't admire that Cullen's house as I usually did. It was huge and gorgeous, but I was kind of in a predicament here.

As soon as Emmet crossed the threshold of the front door, he started screaming.

"Carlisle! Carlisle! I need your help! CARLISLE!" Emmet yelled.

Rose, Jazz, and Alice followed behind us worriedly.

"Carlisle!" Alice screeched, "Get down here! We need help."

My head lolled to the side again and Alice started sobbing.

"Alice," I said weakly, "I'm going to be fine."

"What in hell's name is going on in here?" I heard an all-too familiar voice ask.

Edward. Ah, shit. I did _not_ want to deal with him at the moment. My head swung to the other side and Edward gasped.

"Is she all right?" he asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Like you care," Alice sneered.

"I do," Edward retorted, sounding defensive.

"Whatever you little-" Alice began but couldn't finish.

She was cut off by the Carlisle's voice from the top of the stairs.

"What are you kids screaming about at two in the morning?" Carlisle asked.

Interesting. It was two in the morning? Well, we all fell asleep at around noon… Interesting. Oh, jeez. That was bad. I was reduced to thinking the same word over and over again. Alice's panicked voice broke me out of my thoughts, though.

"Carlisle," she said, "Get down here. It's Bella. She fell and hit her head and now she's bleeding, and, and," Alice said, bursting into tears at the end.

"I'm fine," I tried to say but it came out as an unintelligible mumble.

I heard Carlisle curse under his breath and run down the rest of the stairs.

"How long has she been bleeding?" he asked, his tone all business.

"Er," Jazz answered, "About ten minutes, more or less."

"That's not good," Carlisle muttered, "Head wounds bleed a lot…"

He was quiet for a fraction of a second before giving out commands, "Emmet, lay her down on the couch. Edward, go to my office and get the first aid kit store in one of my desk's drawers. Alice, run to the kitchen and wet a towel and bring it to me. Hurry."

I heard loud footsteps as Emmet lay me down on the couch. Then, hands were gently probing my scalp. I sucked in a breath when Carlisle touched the tender spot. He cursed.

"Alice," he said, "The wet towel, please."

It was quiet and then something cold was being pressed against the wound on my head. I jumped from surprise and Carlisle apologized.

"Can you hear me, Bella?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Stay with me, okay?" he said.

"Okay," I whispered.

"Ah, Edward," he suddenly said.

Then, I heard the click of a plastic box opening and packets being moved around. Carlisle found what he was looking for because the rummaging stopped.

"Bella," Carlisle said, "I'm going to need to give you stitches."

"Damn," I whispered and everyone laughed shakily.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Ugh," I whispered, "Just go for it."

I reached for someone's hand and five people simultaneously grabbed my hand. I laughed shakily and everyone tightened their hands on mine.

Wait. Five hands? There was Alice, Rose, Jazz, and Emmet… Could the last hand be Edward's? Nah, impossible. I mean-

My internal ranting was cut off when Carlisle wiped my head wound and it began to burn. I hissed in pain and squeezed the hands that were on mine.

"I'm sorry," Carlisle said.

"It's okay," I said breathily.

"I'm going to start stitching, now, alright Bella?" he said.

"Ah, crap," I cursed and tightened my grip on the five hands.

"You're going to be okay, Bella," Rose said.

"Yeah," Emmet said, "It's just, like, a six inch needle."

My breathing hitched and I heard a _smack!_ Followed by Emmet's complaining.

"Bella is deathly afraid of needles, stupid," Rose said.

"It's okay, Bells," Jazz said.

Then the tugging of the skin on my scalp alerted me that Carlisle had begun. Naturally, I began to freak out.

"Distract me," I said.

"Umm…" Rose said, "We have a calculus test on Monday."

"We do?!" I shrieked, "I totally forgot about that!"

"Did you know that Jessica caught Mike cheating on her with Lauren?" Alice said.

"Isn't Lauren with Eric…?" I asked.

"Exactly," Alice said.

"Did you know that you're beautiful?" Edward asked suddenly and everyone froze.

Even Carlisle's stitching halted.

"Totally not awkward," I muttered into the silence but then said louder, "Carlisle, I think you should keep going just in case you forget a stitch or something like that."

"Nice subject change," Rose said.

"Shush," I scolded.

Carlisle resumed his stitching and my breathing sped up. I could tell that everyone was trying to think of something to distract me.

"Hey," I said, suddenly, "Did anyone think to tell Renee about this?"

There was silence…

"Aw, crap, guys, come on," I said, "She's gonna freak out."

"I'll go get on that," Rose said and I heard her stand up, "Though I didn't hear her come home during the night..."

I sighed and said, "She probably went on a date with Phil."

Phil was my mom's boyfriend. He was pretty cool but he was young. I sighed once more.

"Almost done," Carlisle announced.

And I sighed again, but in relief this time.

"Oh, Carlisle," Alice said.

"Yes, Alice?" he asked.

"Can you check her jaw too?" she asked.

"I thought it looked a little bruised…" he murmured.

"It's bruised?!" I yelled.

"Sort of," Alice answered.

"Damn," I muttered.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Jazz said, "But it was unlucky of you to have tripped and ended up in front of Edward right when I tried to punch him."

"I didn't trip," I said.

"What?" Jazz asked.

"I. Didn't. Trip," I said, emphasizing each word, "I put myself there on purpose."

"Why?" Emmet asked.

"Because," I answered, "We don't even know for sure if he did it."

"If Edward did what?" Carlisle asked.

"Write 'Swan is a murderer,' on the dance school's walls and throw eggs and vegetables at it," Jazz answered.

"Excuse me?" Carlisle said, halting his stitching again.

I sighed and revised, "Somebody vandalized the school with references to my father's death in the past. At that time, only two people really knew the story. Edward and Rose. And Rose couldn't have done it because I was with her the whole night. Everyone then assumed it was Edward, but I keep saying that it might not be him but no one listened to me. Then, Edward pulled into the school and Emmet and Jazz got all pissed and started yelling in his face. I stopped Emmet from punching Edward but he told Jazz to do it. Then, I put myself in front of Edward because in case he didn't do it, it wouldn't be fair if he got hurt."

"You're pretty selfless, aren't you?" Carlisle asked.

"Hardly," I answered and everyone in the room scoffed.

I was going to question them about that but couldn't when the tugging at my scalp stopped.

"All done," Carlisle said.

"Yay," I breathed.

"Now, let me see that jaw of yours," he said.

I sat up and was a little dizzy. Someone handed me a glass of water. I sipped it thankfully. Someone handed me a plate of food and I looked up to see Esme, the Cullen's mom, looking down at me worriedly. I smiled thankfully at her and dug into the pancakes she had cooked.

Carlisle took my chin in his hands and lifted it so he could see my jaw.

"It's just a little bruised," he said, "Just ice it and it should go away faster."

"Thank you so much, Carlisle," I said.

"No problem, Bella, now what did we learn from this particular experience?" he asked.

"Never leave rocks on the floor," I answered.

"Good," he said, smiling.

He yawned which caused more yawns to go along the room.

"Oh, gosh," I said, "I'm so sorry. Go back to sleep. Go, go." I shooed them off.

Carlisle and Esme went upstairs. Everyone else stayed downstairs.

"Wanna sleepover here?" Alice asked.

"Sure," I answered.

I looked around the room for Rose. She was sitting on the couch next to Emmet.

"Did you get a hold of my mom?" I asked.

"She didn't answer," Rose replied.

"That's weird," I said, "I'm going to call her again, to check up on her."

Just then, the cell phone in the pocket of my jeans went off.

"Oops," I said, "That's probably her."

I took out my cell phone and, sure enough, the caller ID said it was my mom.

"Hey, mom," I said into the receiver.

"Hello?" a man's voice, that was certainly not my mother's, answered, "Is this Isabella Swan, Renee Swan's daughter?"

"Yes, that's me," I answered, a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.

"It's Sam," the voice said, "You know, the chief of police after your father… died."

"Yes," I said, "Hi, Sam. What's the matter?"

"Well," he said, "Isabella, I don't know how to say this, but… your mother got into a car crash. She was heading home and a car crashed head on into her. The paramedics found her dead on the scene. I'm very sorry, but your mother is dead."

"No," I whispered brokenly into the phone.

"I'm so very sorry," he repeated.

"What about Phil, my mom's boyfriend? Is he alright?" I asked.

"Isabella," he said, "Phil was the one who crashed into her."

"Is he… Is he… dead…. Too?" I stuttered.

I could feel everyone's gaze on me, but I couldn't say anything to them. I was breaking inside and I was barely keeping it under control.

"No," Sam answered, "He's in the hospital but he's conscious and alive."

"Will he be put on trial?" I asked.

"Yes," Sam said, "He will."

"Oh, god," I whispered.

"Once again, Isabella, I'm very sorry," he said.

"Wait," I said, "How did you get my number? Why do you have my mom's phone?"

"Phil said we needed to call you. He had her phone and so we called," he answered.

"Thank you," I said, my voice breaking, "Thank you for telling me."

"No problem, Isabella," he said, "But expect a visit from us. We need to discuss living arrangements and such."

"Okay," I whispered brokenly.

"I'll see you soon," he said.

"Yeah," I answered and then hung up.

I immediately dropped the phone and pulled my knees to my chest, putting my head in between them. I let the sobs I had been holding back on the phone rip through my chest. A comforting hand was placed on my back. I looked up into Rose's eyes.

"She's dead," I whispered.

"What?" Rose seemed so shocked.

Tears sprang to her own eyes and she hugged me tight.

"Phil," I sobbed out, "He crashed into her head on. She was on her way home. She was pronounced dead on the scene. Rose, she's dead. She's gone."

"Sh, sh, sh," Rose said, "It's okay."

"It's not okay, Rose," I said, "I'm an orphan. My mother is dead."

I heard collective gasps go around the room.

"Renee is dead?" Jazz asked, looking stricken.

"Yeah," I whispered brokenly.

"How?" he asked.

"Car crash," I answered, sobbing harder, "It was Phil. He crashed into her. She was pronounced dead on the scene."

"Oh, god," Jasper whispered.

"I need to see Phil," I said suddenly.

"Yelling at him won't do any good," Edward said.

"Who said I was going to yell at him?" I asked, "He probably feels more like crap than I do. He loved her, too. I need to go to the hospital to comfort him."

Everyone gaped at me.

"He killed Renee and you want to comfort him?" Rose asked angrily.

I started sobbing harder, but managed to form coherent sentences.

"Rose," I said, "It was an accident and he loved her too, as much as I did if not more. He's probably beating himself up. The feeling of blaming yourself for someone else's death isn't a pretty one. I should know, right?"

"Oh, god," Rose whispered, "Jazz and I need to tell mom."

"Tia El," I whispered, "I should break it to her. She'll want to help with the…" I choked out the word, "…funeral."

With shaking hands, I called Tia El and told her. She burst into tears and I assured her that Renee was in a better place. I told her that everything was going to be okay. I just seriously hoped I was right.

* * *

**EPOV**

Watching Bella calmly tell Rosalie's and Jasper's mom that her own mother was dead made me confused. How could she be so calm when her mom had just died? Was she that heartless? Or was she putting on a brave face for everyone else? I seriously couldn't figure this girl out.

I watched Bella as she assured Elaida. Then, I looked around my living room. Alice was comforting Jasper as Emmet was comforting Rosalie. Yet, no one was comforting Bella. How messed up was that picture?

I studied Bella closer and saw the way her eyebrows were scrunched together and the tears that were threatening to overspill in her eyes. Looking at her, I sensed that she was about to break underneath the calm surface she was projecting.

I noticed the way she looked paler than usual, and thinner. I also noticed the bags underneath her eyes. That along with the way her eyes were a little red and puffy made her look like hell.

But, I also noticed that though she looked like hell, she still looked beautiful. Does that even make sense? I mean, Bella looked as though all hell was breaking loose in her world, and it was, but she looked as though she could take it.

I could see this determination in her, but I could also see the hopelessness. I could see her confusion and fear on top of it all. It nearly broke my heart, which was definitely peculiar.

Bella hung up her phone and stood up suddenly, calling all the attention in the room to her. She swayed and everyone made a move to help her.

"Guys," she snapped, "Stop it. I'm fine."

Everyone froze and her expression turned apologetic.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you guys. I… I don't know. I think I'm just mad at myself again," she said.

"Why?" Rosalie asked angrily.

"I… don't know," Bella admitted.

"It's her way of coping, Rose," Jasper said, shocking all of us.

"Wha-?" Rose asked, perplexed.

"Bella copes with unfortunate happenings by finding things to blame on herself so that she doesn't end up blaming others for things," he said.

That shocked me.

"She does it for attention?" I asked, not getting what he was saying.

Everyone turned to give me death glares that made my heart want to stop beating.

"Do I?" Bella asked, suddenly doubting herself, "Oh, god. I do, don't I? Ugh! I'm a horrible person!"

"Good job, Edward," Jasper said, "You just gave her something to hate herself for."

I was speechless. What the hell did I do?

"Bella," Emmet said, "You're not a horrible person. You're actually completely self-less. You blame yourself for everything because you don't want anything to be anyone else's fault."

"Aw," Rose said, "Em, that's the deepest thing I've ever heard you say."

"And the deepest thing you'll ever hear him say," Alice muttered.

Everyone laughed, except Bella. She still looked stricken and tired.

"Jazz," she said, holding her hand out to Jasper, "Keys, please."

"Can't you go in the morning?" he asked.

"No," she said, smiling sadly, "It should be tonight. He's killing himself over it, I just know it. I need to be there for him. Renee would have wanted me to."

"But, do _you_ want to?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" Bella retorted, smiling sadly.

"Of course it does," Alice said, sounding heartbroken for her best friend.

"Wrong answer," she said.

"She always does this," Rose said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"I do what?" Bella asked.

"You always never care about yourself," Rose screamed, "You're hurting! I know it! Everyone can see it! But you _never care_! You let yourself hurt and no one deserves to hurt as much as you have! Hell, you don't deserve to hurt _at all_!"

"Rose," Bella said calmly, "Calm down. You're going to wake the whole neighborhood."

"See what I mean!" Rose screamed louder, "_You never care about yourself!_ Can't you see that you in pain puts everyone else in pain too?"

"Rose," Bella said angrily, her jaw and hands clenched, "Stop it. Right. Now."

"No!" Rose yelled, "Let it out, Bella. I know you want to scream! I know you want to break something! I know you want to cry! Pull down those damn walls of yours and let it out!"

"Jazz," Bella said, sighing and everyone could see how hard she fought her tears, "Keys. _Now_."

Jasper quietly handed her his car keys and she left the house, leaving everyone in silence.

"Rose," Jasper said, "You shouldn't have pushed her like that."

"No," Rose argued, "_All of you_ should have pushed her with me. She needs to let her emotions out. What that girl does is unhealthy."

"Rose is right," Alice said, "Bella needs to let what's inside of her out. It's tearing her up inside, that's obvious to everyone. I don't get why she'd bottle all of her feelings though."

"That's easy," Jasper said, "The girl doesn't want to worry us."

"Seriously?" I asked, not buying it.

No one is that good-hearted.

"You'd be surprised by how people an actually be good," Alice snapped at me.

"Jeesh," I said, "Retract the claws."

"Edward," Alice hissed, "If you know what's good for you, you'd shut the fuck up right now."

I closed my mouth. Alice could be vicious when she wanted.

"I believe that about Bella," Alice said to the others, "She's always trying to carry the world's weight on her shoulders."

"That's Bella," Rose sighed.

"We should go with her to the hospital," Jasper said, giving me a pointed look.

I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to drive my Volvo.

"Fine," I said.

We left the house and piled into the Volvo. We caught up with Bella in Jazz's car in no time. She probably noticed us but didn't do anything.

We soon pulled into the hospital and we all got out. Bella practically sprinted to the check-in desk, and the rest of us ran to catch up with her.

She checked in at the front desk and then we all went to go visit her mom's boyfriend. She opened his hospital door and I turned to Emmet.

"20 bucks says she beats the crap out of him," I said.

"You honestly know nothing about her, do you?" he said, rolling his eyes, "You're on, but I actually feel a little bit bad about this. Easiest 20 bucks I've ever made."

Bella ran into the room, up to the hospital bed. She looked at him for a few minutes and then threw her arms around him.

We could see that he was fully awake and crying.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he was saying, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to crash into her. It was an accident. I hate myself for it. It isn't fair."

"Phil," she said, "It's okay. I know it wasn't on purpose. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Phil sobbed, "She's dead. Why aren't you screaming? Why aren't you beating me up?"

"Because that's not what Renee would have wanted," Bella answered, "God, Phil. Stop this. She'd want you to stop blaming yourself."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Because I know my own mother. God, you want to know why I'm here?" Bella said with sudden fervor, "I'm here because I know that Renee would want you to know that she forgives you. _I _want you to know that I forgive you. So stop blaming yourself, Phil. Just stop."

Then they both started sobbing and holding onto each other. The rest of us just watched, feeling like we were intruding.

"Hand over the money, Edward," Emmet said.

I grunted and handed her a twenty. Bella suddenly looked up and glared.

"You made a bet on me?" she demanded.

"Er…" I tried to answer but then didn't have to because there was a sudden annoying beeping in the room.

Everyone looked down at Phil and he looked like he couldn't breathe. Bella let go of him, her eyes wide and then she screamed.

"Somebody help!" she yelled, "He can't breathe! Somebody _help him!_"

A nurse and a doctor came bustling in, checking Phil. Then, Phil's heart rate monitor flat-lined, showing that his heart had stopped beating.

"No!" Bella screamed.

The doctors and nurses whipped out the resuscitator (**AN: It's the machine with the paddles and that gives you that electric jolt to revive your heart**) and began trying to revive Phil. All of us watched on in horror.

Each time the doctor shocked Phil, hi heart would beat once before flat-lining again. The doctor tried at least six times. Finally, the doctors and nurses gave up, turning to Bella.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said.

"Time of death," the nurse said, "4:38 AM."

"How?" Bella asked, sounding horrified.

"We might have missed something when we were giving him a check-up," the doctor said, "I don't know. We're going to have to perform an autopsy. We'll call you when we get the results."

"An autopsy…" Bella muttered.

Then, she kept murmuring, "Oh, god," over and over again, like she couldn't believe what had just happened.

After a few minutes, I think it finally sank into her head because then she screamed, broken and piercing.

"Phil!" she yelled, "Fuck! Phil! I'm so sorry!"

Everyone was shocked. Then, sobs began to rack Bella's chest, and she began hitting her fists upon the linoleum floor, cursing.

Again, I say everyone was shocked. I mean, we had never seen Bella this way. Even Jasper and Rosalie looked completely stunned. Bella was having a total breakdown.

The girls reacted faster than the boys could. Rosalie and Alice were suddenly by Bella's side, holding onto her and trying to comfort her.

"It's okay," Rosalie said and Alice repeated it.

"It's not okay!" Bella screamed, "_I'm_ not okay! I… I don't know what to do! I feel like everything is just caving in, and I know I sound like a selfish drama queen! And… and… UGH!"

Bella suddenly started punching the floor and everyone heard the cracks of some of her knuckles breaking. Rosalie and Alice's eyes widened and during those few seconds, Bella got in three more punches.

Before Bella could punch the floor a fourth time, Alice and Rose caught her hand and they both hugged Bella for all that she was worth.

"I'm sorry," Bella whispered, "I'm so sorry. Charlie. Mom. Phil. God, I'm so sorry."

Alice shushed her and all three of them cried. Bella screamed again, a heartbroken and heartbreaking sound. It was the sound of all she felt at that moment, anyone could tell. It was high and full of pain and regret, the feelings she had been hiding since the moment she got that phone call.

"I don't know what to do," Bella cried.

Yeah, well, that makes the six of us.

* * *

**Okay, so my heart almost broke when I was writing this.**

**I know a lot happened, and I'm sorry if I moved it a little too fast.**

**I hope I did Edward's POV well.**

**Anywhoo... give me your feedback, guys!**

**Thank you!**

**I love you!**

**-Jules  
**


	7. IAmSuchAnAssholeAndIKnowIt

Never in my life have I cried so much. Never before have I ever been in so much pain. It was now eight in the morning and I was back at the Cullen's place. We'd gone home after I managed to stop the tears that were relentless.

The drive home had been silent and awkward. Everyone wanted to say something but no one could find the way to say it. Once we were back at the house, everyone, and I mean everyone including Edward, collapsed on the couches and, in Emmet and Edward's cases, the carpet.

I stayed awake, listening to everyone's breathing, thinking of nothing and everything at the same time. I mostly recounted memories of Renee and Phil. They'd been so happy together. I couldn't believe they were gone.

I knew it wasn't healthy for me to stay awake all night, but it was a common occurrence. I suffer from insomnia but tonight was different. I was actually scared to go to sleep. I always had nightmares and I knew that now Renee and Phil were dead, they'd star in my nightmares too.

Renee. My heart twisted as I realized just how much I would miss her. She had been such a genuine person. And Phil. I'd miss him to. He had been a cool guy. Had been. It was crazy how those two words could cut wounds in my heart so deep.

I glanced at the clock. Everyone should be waking up soon. I got up and entered the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. After rummaging around in the Cullen's refrigerator, I decided to cook bacon, sausage, omelets, and pancakes.

I cooked the sausage in one pan while I cooked the bacon in the other. (It was one of those stoves that have multiple burners) I finished those two in a half hour. I put them on a plate and then kept it in the microwave to keep it from losing its heat.

Then, I began cooking the pancakes. I finished cooking enough for everybody in forty-five minutes. Suddenly, I heard someone stir in the living room. Then, somebody shouted.

"HEY!" Emmet yelled, "I SMELL _FOOD!_"

I laughed, though it sounded a bit off to me. The other people in the room stirred and I heard the smack of someone slapping someone. I figured it was Rose slapping Emmet.

"Ow!" Emmet complained, "Rosie, that hurt!"

I was right on the mark. Then, I heard two people walking down the stairs. There was a chorus of "good morning's" and then Carlisle and Esme walked into the kitchen. I was readying the pan to fry the omelets.

"Oh!" Esme gasped, "Bella, dear! You didn't have to cook."

"No, Esme," I said, "It's okay. I wanted to. I needed to get my mind off of… what happened."

"The school thing?" Carlisle asked.

"Oh," I said, realization dawning upon me, "You guys don't know."

"What don't we know?" Esme asked, as Emmet, Jazz, Alice, Rose and Edward walked into the kitchen.

"Bella's mom and Bella's mom's boyfriend died last night," Edward said bluntly, making me flinch.

At that point of time, the stove was already on, warming up the pan, and I had the bottle of vegetable oil in my hand. When I flinched, I accidentally poured a little too much oil into the pan and it suddenly popped, splashing hot oil all over my right hand and arm, the one that had been holding the oil.

The pain of the hot oil lanced through me and I dropped the bottle of vegetable oil causing it to fall and spill onto the floor. I cursed as I saw that my hand and arm were slightly burned. And it hurt like _hell_.

"Shit!" I said, and tried to cool my arm by waving it around, trying to get the air to cool it.

It didn't work so I ran to the sink and ran my hand under cold water. After a minute of silence, I turned around to see Carlisle and Esme staring at the spot where I'd spilled the bottle of oil. The oil was now all over the floor, making a huge mess.

"Oh, my gosh," I said, "I'm so sorry. I'll clean that up right away."

I got a paper towel and then ran to the spill. That wasn't such a great idea. I ended up not stopping in time and I slipped on the oil. I reached out to try and grab something but ended up catching the handle of a pan.

Something suddenly struck me in the head and it _hurt_. But, I couldn't dwell on it too long because I then proceeded to pass out.

* * *

**EPOV**

Everyone was shocked into silence for a few seconds as we watched Bella freak out. She had burned her hand and had run to the sink to wash it. Carlisle and Esme were staring at the oil on the floor, probably shocked at what they had just learned about Bella's mom.

Bella apologized for spilling the oil, taking Carlisle and Esme's gazes the wrong way, and ran to get a towel. She ran back to the oil spill and ended up slipping on it. Her arms flailed trying to find something to grab on but her hand hit the handle of the pan that she hadn't been using.

Bella hit the floor and then the pan hit her in the head. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell back. The family was quiet for a few seconds before all hell broke loose.

"Bella?!" Emmet yelled.

Carlisle immediately snapped into doctor mode.

"God, this girl will be the death of all of us, I swear," he muttered before running to her side.

As Carlisle went to Bella's side, Esme ran to the stove to turn it off. Carlisle snapped to Emmet to carry her to the sofa. Everyone followed worriedly as Emmet lay Bella down on the couch.

Carlisle examined Bella's head. We all saw that Bella was passed out cold. Everyone was silent. But then, Rosalie turned to me and glared.

"What?" I asked, putting my hands up.

"You caused this," she said, shaking from anger.

"How?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"If you'd been the _least_ bit sensitive and not said that her mom died, like it was nothing, maybe she wouldn't have spilled the oil in the first place," Alice argued.

"Well, it's her fault she stepped in the oil in the first place," I said.

"Don't you _dare_ pin this on her, Edward Cullen," Emmet said.

"Oh, shut up, Em," I said.

"No, Edward," Emmet said, "_You _stop it. You are not doing anything to help Bella at the moment, okay? She just fucking lost her mother and the closest thing she had to a father after her real father was _murdered_. The whole dance school thinks she's her father's goddamn murderer, and yet she doesn't have the heart to yell at the guy who caused the rumor to spread. She's in pain and you just keep making that worse. I think it's best if you just leave her the hell alone."

"You know what, Em," I said, "Maybe she _did_ kill her father. It's always the quiet ones. Maybe she even killed her own mother and that Phil guy."

I heard gasps from all around the room.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen," Alice growled, "You take that back right now."

"No," I said, knowing this would piss everyone off more, "We don't know anything about her. We don't know _her_."

We heard movement from the couch and saw Bella with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling. She had shuffled on the couch a little, to let everyone know she was awake.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked, horrified at the idea that she might have heard me.

I hadn't really meant what I said. I just wanted to piss my family and friends off. It was fun, you know. But I didn't mean for Bella to hear. That would just make me cruel.

"Long enough," she answered, smiling sadly at me.

That smile broke my heart and my stomach fell to my feet as I realized that she heard everything I said about her. I looked down at the floor ashamed. Everyone was staring at me but with different expressions, for the most part.

Esme and Carlisle looked disappointed. Jasper, Emmet, Alice and Rose looked so pissed I thought I saw steam coming out of their ears. Bella just looked… heartbroken.

I hadn't really noticed that she looked even thinner than last night and the bags underneath her eyes were worse than ever. Bella tried to break the uncomfortable silence and save my ass by speaking.

"Umm," she said, "Can I have tylenol?"

Carlisle handed her a pill and she gladly took it, without water. Then she stood up, rubbing her head, and went into the kitchen. I heard the stove start again. Everyone was left shocked in the living room.

Esme turned to me and I gulped, knowing that she was going to guilt trip me about this. The weird thing was, though, that I felt guilty already and I rarely ever felt guilty.

"Edward Cullen," Esme scolded, "How could you say that about Bella? How? That girl has been nothing but nice to this family. She has a heart of gold for not saying anything to you. With all that's happening, her mom and Phil dying and then the incident with the school and her father and you saying stuff like 'Maybe she is a murderer,' I'm surprised she hasn't. I would definitely be screaming in your face right now. Put yourself in Bella's place for five seconds and tell me what would you do if you heard someone else say what you just said about Bella."

"I'd be pissed," I muttered.

"What was that?" Esme asked angrily.

"I'd be pissed," I said louder.

"Damn right," Esme said, shocking us all, "Yet, is Bella pissed? Is she angry? Is she even _irritated_? No, she's heartbroken, probably thinking that everything is her fault. What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"

I just rolled back and forth on the balls of my feet. I shrugged, answering Esme's question. She just shook her head and walked back into the kitchen, striking up a conversation with Bella. Everyone followed, after gifting me with killer glares.

I sighed and walked upstairs to my room. I put a Linkin Park CD in my CD player and blasted my music.

* * *

**BPOV**

Everyone took their time to walk back into the kitchen. I refused to let myself feel. I refused to let myself think about what Edward had said. I was now cooking the omelets to keep myself busy.

"Bella, dear," Esme suddenly said, sweeping into the kitchen and making me jump in surprise, "Is your head alright? What about your arm?"

"I'm fine, Esme," I answered as everyone, excluding Edward, filed back into the kitchen.

I finished cooking the omelets and I put the food on the table, seeing that it was already set. We all sat down and began to eat in an uncomfortable silence. I felt guilty. No one was talking because of me.

"I'm sorry," I said into the silence.

Esme sighed and answered, "You have nothing to be sorry for, darling."

We continued to eat breakfast in silence but Edward still didn't come down. After breakfast, Esme fixed his plate and told Emmet to bring it up to Edward. He didn't want to so I volunteered to do it.

Esme protested but I took the plate from her hands and went up to Edward's room. I knocked, hearing music blasting from his room. I knocked louder.

"Go away," he said.

"I have your food," I said.

It was quiet for a moment. Then, his door opened and there he stood, eyeing me. I handed him the plate, shrugged, and walked back downstairs.

* * *

**EPOV**

When I heard the knock on my door, I thought it was one of my siblings so I ignored it. When it came again, I snapped.

"Go away!" I yelled.

"I have your food," a voice I wasn't expecting said.

I opened my door and saw Bella standing there, with a plate of food in her hands. She looked at me, handed me the plate, shrugged, and then went back downstairs.

Once in my room, all I could think was, how could I have been such an asshole?

* * *

**Okay, so this one is waaaaaaay short compared to the last chapter.**

**Well, I hope I did okay.**

**I did a lot of jumping around from POV to POV.**

**I hope I did alright.**

**Tell me what you think, please!**

**And I have a feeling I'll be updating a lot this week.**

**I'm on Spring Break and I don't really have anything better to do. (Which is actually pretty sad)**

**But, yes, I will be updating a lot so keep checking in.**

**AND REVIEEEEWWWW!!!!!**

**Lastly, I love all of you!!!**

**-Jules  
**


	8. ThatDamnMaskOfCalm

I knew that the next week was going to be hell. I had three broken knuckles, a small burn the size of a quarter which was six shades darker than the rest of my skin on the same arm as the broken knuckles, and a bump the size of Emmett's bicep on the back of my head.

Not only was I in physical pain, but also I knew the emotional pain would be killing me inside. I had to figure out funeral plans (I had to figure Phil's out too because I was the closest thing to family he had left), I had to find new guardians until I turned 18, and I needed to go through my Mom's and Phil's wills so I could figure out possessions.

For the mean time, I'm going to alternate between staying at the Cullen's house and the Hale's house. No one minded, except Edward of course, but like I cared about him. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep and Rose, Jazz, Alice, and Emmett did too.

I knew that they were going to try to stay up with me, much to my dismay, but I knew what to do. I'd pretend to fall asleep and when they finally go to sleep, I'll go do what I have to.

Tonight, I was staying at the Cullen's. They'd drive me to school in the morning. I already had my backpack, books, and clothes. So I was pretty much set.

Alice, Emmett, Edward and I were currently in the living room. It was nearing midnight, so I figured it was time to pretend to sleep. I put my laptop, which I had grabbed from the house, on the coffee table and snuggled under the blankets into the sofa.

I felt everyone's shocked gazes on me, but then I made myself breathe slow, deep, and even. Then, I heard the others settle in for bed. I waited for everybody's breath to even out.

I had to fight off chuckles when I heard Emmett start to snore. When I heard three sleeping teenagers, I sat up and went back to typing out plans on my laptop.

Sam had e-mailed me about the wills and the funeral plans. Tomorrow after dance lessons, I'd have to go to the funeral home to book two ceremonies and organize gravestones. On Tuesday after dance lessons, I had to go to through Renee and Phil's wills. On Wednesday, I'd have to look for couples who were willing to adopt me.

On my laptop, I was figuring out and typing down ideas for the funerals. I decided to have the funerals on the upcoming Saturday or Sunday. It's not that I wanted it to be over so soon, I wanted the funerals to be open-casket.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard someone clear their throat softly. I closed my eyes, and stopped typing, hoping whoever it was would go back to sleep. But the throat-clearing came again. I turned to face an amused Edward.

"Go back to sleep," I said.

"I can't," he said, "Your typing is keeping me up."

"Ignore it," I retorted.

"Okay, then," he said and pulled his blanket up over his head.

I didn't start typing again until I heard his even breathing. Then, I kept typing furiously until the sun began to break through the sky.

I watched the sunrise, and the sheer beauty of it made me want to cry. I kept my tears in though; it was good practice for the rest of the week ahead. When everyone started to stir, I put my laptop down gently and pretended to wake up too.

"Good morning, Bella," Alice greeted happily.

"Good morning," I answered.

She eyed me suspiciously but I pretended that I didn't notice. We ate breakfast and then piled into Edward's Volvo. I was dreading school. The rumors of me being Charlie's murderer probably reached the school already.

Not to mention the deaths of Renee and Phil. I was going to be the subject of so much gossip and rumors. I started to hyperventilate when we pulled into the school parking lot. I took three deep breaths when Edward parked.

Then, I opened the door and stepped out of the car, my face a perfect mask of calm.

"See you later, guys," I said to Edward, Alice and Emmett as I headed to my first period class.

I didn't have this class with anyone, unfortunately. My first and last periods were the classes that I didn't have with any of my friends.

My first period was AP English. The school gossips were in it. Lauren, Tanya, and Jessica. Ugh. I was so in for it. My last period was Gym, which was my personal hell. I was the only outcast in that class. Everyone else was a popular.

As students started walking into the classroom, I increasingly became more uncomfortable. Whenever a student would walk into the room and see me, they'd shut up for a few seconds before gossiping about me. I kept hearing the words, "Murderer" and "Loser" and "Death."

I kept my cool, though. My calm mask didn't betray any emotion. When Jessica, Lauren and Tanya walked into the room, they took one look at me and began screaming.

"Ew!" Lauren screamed, "Swan is, like, going to kill us all!"

"And she's going to look hideous doing it," Tanya sneered.

I kept my mask, even though Tanya, Lauren, and Jessica went on about how I murdered Charlie, Renee, and Phil. Everyone was staring at me but I kept my mask. I knew how important the mask was.

When the teacher walked in, he looked at me curiously. He beckoned me to his desk, so I got up and walked to him.

"Yes?" I asked politely.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Learning?" I answered.

"Shouldn't you be a home? You know… grieving…" he trailed off.

I tried not to flinch and succeeded.

I answered coolly, "No, I should be here, making sure that I get an education so I can provide for myself when I hit 18."

Then, without waiting for a dismissal, I walked back to my desk. The whole room erupted into titters. I kept telling myself to breathe and let it go, breathe and let it go. The teacher began the lesson, never calling on me.

When the bell rang, I got up and rushed out of the classroom. In the hallways, everyone was talking about me. I wanted to scream at them to shut up and mind their own business, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

So, instead, I kept my head held high, the calm mask in place, never showing anyone any emotion. It was the same with every class I went to. I kept the mask up, not even showing Rose, Jazz, Alice and Emmett any emotion, while everyone around me talked about me being a murderer.

It was worse during lunch in the cafeteria. When I walked into the room, the whole room went deathly quiet. I walked straight to a table, not bothering to get food. As soon as I sat down, everyone started talking about me being heartless for being so calm.

I closed my eyes and put my head on the table. Rose, Jazz, Alice, and Emmett strode purposefully towards me. I looked at them like they were crazy. Everyone in the room was silent once again as they walked towards me with food.

Rose rolled her eyes before snapping at everyone, "Don't you have something better to do than watch us as we walk?"

Everyone turned to stare at their food and I smirked for a second before putting the mask back on.

Rose, Jazz, Alice, and Emmett ate at the same table as I was, but they didn't try to talk to me. They could sense that I didn't want to talk. When the bell rang, we went our separate ways and everything was back to the way it was before lunch.

Gym was absolutely terrible. Coach Clapp decided to make us play dodge ball for the rest of the week. Of course, I was everyone's first target. A dozen balls hit me at once and people kept throwing dodge balls at me even when I was walking to the bench. Coach Clapp caught that and got angry.

"She's _out_ already," he yelled, "Pick on someone else!"

We continued to play until the bell rang. When it did, I changed hurriedly and then walked to Edward's Volvo. Alice, Emmett and Edward were already waiting for me.

"I heard about what happened in Gym," Alice said wuietly as we got into the car.

"What happened in Gym?" asked Emmett.

"Nothing," I answered, "Just some people decided me as their target. Nothing big."

"Please, Bella," Alice said, "They kept throwing balls at her even as she was walking towards the out bench."

"I am so going to kick their asses!" Emmett yelled.

"No, Emmett, don't," I said, "They're not worth it."

It was silent the rest of the way to the dance school. Dance lessons were no better than school. Everyone was whispering crap about me. But I was ecstatic to find that the front of the dance school was now clean.

I went through dance lessons, with the calm mask on my face. I wasn't able to stay too long after dance lessons. I had to get to the funeral home, but I allowed myself half an hour.

So, I put in an Evanescence CD and played a slow song. I let my mask drop and I knew that my face was contorted in anger and sadness. I moved to the slow beat of the song easily, conveying my emotions by my movements.

What I was doing right now was lyrical dancing. Lyrical dancing was basically your interpretation of a song in dance-form. This song was the song I've been listening to all day. It was My Immortal by Evanescence, the acoustic version so every instrument except the drums were being played.

I let my emotions take over. I closed my eyes and moved to the rhythm. When the song ended, I took a deep breath. Then, Bring Me To Life began to play. This song was way more hardcore but I began dancing to that song too.

My movements for this song were more erratic, but more deliberate. My movements were almost… violent, while looking as if I couldn't hurt anything. I even danced a little ballet to it. I let all of my emotions out. My mask was still off, so I watched my face and saw all of my pain apparent in my eyes.

After Bring Me To Life, Going Under played. This song was so much more hardcore than the other two songs, but I managed to make my movements look like they matched the song while keeping them from looking like I was spastic.

I kept dancing until my alarm went off, telling me that I had to get to the funeral home. I grabbed my stuff and looked up at the door to see Alice, Jazz, Rose, Emmett and Edward all staring at me.

My eyes widened as I realized that they were there. I slipped my mask back into place.

"How long were you guys there?" I asked, my voice level.

"Since 'My Immortal'," Alice answered, "Edward said he heard Evanescence so he wanted to check it out. We followed and it lead us to you."

"That was amazing," Rose said.

"Thanks," I replied, while walking past them, "Listen, guys, I need to get to the funeral home. Can someone drop me off at my house so I can use my truck? Then, I'll go to your place, Rose."

"When are the funerals?" Emmett asked quietly.

"I want them this upcoming Saturday or Sunday," I answered, keeping my voice calm.

"Why so soon?" Edward asked.

"I want the funerals to be open-casket," I said, "So, it's better if we do it soon."

"Who's going to be your legal guardian?" Jazz asked.

I sighed and turned to my friends. I smiled sadly.

"I'm going to be looking for adoptive parents," I answered simply.

"So, there's a chance you're going to move away?" Alice asked, sounding heartbroken.

"Yeah," I answered, fighting the wavering in my voice, "There's a chance."

Everyone was quiet then. I forced myself to breathe. Hyperventilating and breaking down would do nothing to help the situation. It was quiet in the car on the drive to my house.

When I got out of the car, I smiled at the occupants.

"Thank you," I said.

I waved them off. Then, I climbed into my truck and drove to the funeral home. I booked two funeral ceremonies and organized the gravestones. I didn't have to pay too much because Phil's and Renee's insurance covered a lot of the funeral fees, for which I was thankful.

The funeral and graves and gravestone planning took a whole four hours, so it was 10:30 when I arrived at the Hale's house. They let me in and I ate. Then, I pretended to go to sleep. When I was sure Jazz and Rose were asleep, I began typing on my laptop again.

I watched painfully as the sun rose and we ate breakfast and then went to school. The cycle of endless gossiping and whispers followed me everywhere. Tanya, Jessica, and Lauren wouldn't leave me alone.

I'd get pummeled in Gym every day. I'd dance while other people stared at me like I was a disease. Then, I'd dance to how I was feeling for thirty minutes before enduring more torture, talk of the funerals.

In Renee's will, she announced me an emancipated minor. Renee gave me everything she had, and so did Phil. It looked like they had been planning on getting married. So, everything was mine, and I didn't need to be adopted.

When I told Alice, Jazz, Rose, and Emmett that, they were ecstatic. Tia El offered me to stay with her and Jazz and Rose persuaded me to. So, I'm going to be living with Jazz and Rose now.

I'm going to sell the house that was left in my possession. I had a lot of money in the bank; apparently Phil was a wise investor. I endured everything that week with the mask of calm on my face. I still wasn't sleeping, and you could tell from the bags under my eyes.

Sooner than I wanted it to be, it was Saturday, the day of the funerals. I donned a black dress and black heels. Rose, Alice, Esme, and Tia El did the same. All of the boys were in black suits.

We attended the ceremonies. During both ceremonies, I kept the calm mask on my face, though it was such a struggle to keep from betraying my emotions. I could feel everyone's nervous gaze on me, but I ignored them.

When it came to the eulogies, I left it to the others to say stuff before I did. Tia El, Rose, Jazz, and Esme said something about Renee and Phil. I was the last to give my eulogy.

"Renee was my mother," I said, "And my best friend. She took care of me and made me believe in myself. She kissed away any boo-boos and made my heartaches go away. She was always there for me and she was always so full of life. It's hard to believe that she's gone. Renee was erratic, hare-brained, and eccentric. She was so spontaneous, too. And Phil. Phil always encouraged her, and I guess that that was what made them such a great couple. They trusted each other, and they were in love. They were supposed to get married. I wouldn't have had any qualms about Phil being my step-dad. He would have been good to me. He was good to my mother. Both Renee and Phil were great people. They had big hearts. It's a shame that those hearts aren't able to shine in the world anymore. But, I can say for a fact, that they're happy in a better place, and they're together, so I'm sure they're perfectly fine. I don't think it's proper to say goodbye at a funeral. After all, I don't believe that funerals were made to grieve for the dead. I believe that funerals were made to celebrate that deceased person's good and happy life and to celebrate the life that you are still living. Though, I can't deny that people will cry. The tears come because we'll miss our deceased loved ones. But still, instead of goodbye, I'll say, 'Until next time.' Until next time, Renee and Phil, may you rest in peace. I love you both and I'll keep you in my heart forever."

I finished my eulogy and then walked back to my seat. I was fighting to keep the mask, fighting to keep my emotions under control. I could sense a breakdown threatening me. I breathed deeply.

Finally, we moved to the graveyard where the caskets were being closed. Before they were closed, we were allowed to drop flowers, notes, and trinkets into the casket. I let everyone drop roses in the casket before me. I was the last one, again.

I dropped a rose into Renee's coffin. Tied to the rose was a note that I'd written. It contained a recollection of good memories, and how I really felt for my mom. I gave the same gift to Phil. I blew them loving kisses before the workers closed the caskets. I heard sobbing from the crowd but didn't dare look, for I knew that if I saw someone else crying, I'd breakdown too.

I forced myself to breathe. They lowered the casket and then dirt was being piled onto the caskets. That was wear I turned around sharply. I came face to face with Edward.

"I'm surprised," he said, "Not crying yet, Swan?"

"Shut up," I said, breathless.

"Why not? You're so heartless that you can't even cry at your mom's wedding?" he taunted.

"Shut up," I said again.

"You're too heartless to care?" he spat.

And then I cracked. So, keep in mind that I haven't slept at all in six straight days. Keep in mind that I've been dealing with stressful subjects all week. Keep in mind that I've endured a full week of gossiping and teasing and taunting.

I've endured this whole crappy week with a calm face. I was bound to run out of patience sometime. So, I don't think that anyone was surprised that I cracked, except Edward of course.

I slapped him on the cheek, hard and I felt my mask of calm cracking like someone had stepped on very thin ice.

"You think I don't care?!" I yelled at him, not caring that other people were around us, "You think that I'm so freaking heartless that I can't cry at my Mom's funeral?! Huh? You want to know why I didn't cry at all this week?! You want to know why I didn't want to cry at this funeral?! Because I knew I would break down! I knew… I knew that I couldn't take this! I knew I was so weak that if I started crying, I wouldn't stop! How _dare_ you say that I don't care! How _dare you!_"

And then I fell to my knees, sobs racking my chest for all that I lost, for all that I've had to endure in the past week. I cried for everything right then and there, letting all of my emotions out. I screamed at the sky, as it began to rain.

It wasn't supposed to rain today, I thought numbly as I cried. I knew that I was getting drenched but I couldn't bother to move. I stayed, kneeling on the ground, crying harder than I've ever cried in my life.

* * *

**EPOV**

I know what you're thinking.

"_Oh, Edward, you're such a jackass for making Bella cry like that_," is along the lines of what you're thinking, right?

Well, I did her a favor. All week, I've seen her with that stupid calm face of hers. I knew it was just an act, but it wasn't cracking.

At the funerals, I knew she had to let all of her pent up emotion out. So, I taunted her. I made that damn calm mask of hers crack. I let her let her emotions out and I was damn proud. It was about time she let all of that out.

Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and the Hale's mom all stayed in the rain, watching Bella as she cried and screamed at the rain.

"Edward," Esme said, tears in her own eyes, "Why would you do that?"

"I did it for her own good," I said.

"How is making her cry a good thing?" Jasper asked angrily.

"You guys saw how she was all week," I answered, "She had that calm mask thing on. She was refusing to come to terms with her emotions. She had to do it sooner or later. I knew that she'd probably end up doing it later, when she's alone. I knew that she'd probably end up getting hurt if she did that. I helped her let out her emotions while we're all here to help her let all of it out."

"Edward's right," Carlisle said, "It's best that Bella lets all of her emotions out where there are people here to save her from herself, if the need arises."

And so we watched Bella as she cried and screamed, letting the rain wash away her broken emotions just as it was washing the tears off of her face.

* * *

**How was that?**

**I hope it was as good as the other chapters!**

**I'm kind of feeling pressured now because I've been getting such great reviews.**

**I don't want to make a really crappy chapter compared to the others.**

**Lol.**

**Review, please!**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Thank you all who are reading!**

**I love you all!**

**And thank you to all those who have given me great reviews!  
**

**-Jules  
**


	9. I'mPairedUpWithWho!

_If I can say so myself, that was one hell of a double funeral_, I thought sarcastically to myself. It took me about two hours to finally finish crying myself out. Even so, I just stayed there, soaking up the rain on my knees.

After another half hour of letting myself get soaked, I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. I looked up and saw that it was Carlisle, who was as drenched as I was.

"If you stay in the rain any longer, you're going to get pneumonia," he said, "Come on, Bella. Let's go home and drink some hot chocolate."

"Thank you," I said and meaning it, "For not leaving when it started to rain and when I broke down."

When it started to rain, all the other people who attended the funerals had left. Only the Hales and Cullens had stayed to watch over me, to make sure I was okay.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked as he helped me get to my feet.

"Oddly calm," I answered, "I feel a lot lighter, that's for sure."

"That's good," he said, smiling.

"It is," I answered giving him a smile of my own.

As I walked with Carlisle to the parking lot, we talked about how it wasn't supposed to rain, how the funeral was, and how he was glad that I was okay.

When we came into the sight of the Hale's and Cullen's car, Jazz, Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Edward immediately ran out to hug me tightly.

"Are you okay?" they kept asking.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I answered with a smile.

I, however, didn't acknowledge Edward whatsoever. If he thought I was heartless, I'd give him heartless.

The rest of the weekend past quickly. I kept ignoring Edward, but I kept talking to Alice, Rose, Jazz and Emmett. I was genuinely having fun with them. Plus, they helped keep Edward away from me.

Monday came, too soon for my tastes. Jazz drove Rose and me. I went to school, ready to take on anyone who came at me.

In my first period class, I sat up straighter and I didn't bother to even think about the calm mask that was in a pocket in my head. When Tanya, Lauren and Jessica walked in, they immediately started calling me out.

"Ew," Lauren said, "Ducky doesn't seem like she wants to be quiet anymore."

"I know," Tanya said, "I liked it last week when she was too weak with guilt over murdering her parents to respond to anything else."

"Like, I know," Jessica said.

They went on and on…. I actually found it hilarious because Lauren was spouting nonsense, Tanya was in her own world and saying stuff _over_ what Lauren was saying, and Jessica was just agreeing with both Lauren and Tanya and nodding her head like hyperactive parrot.

After a few minutes, I finally started laughing. I couldn't hold it back. Tanya, Lauren, Jessica, and everyone else in the room were looking at me like I was crazy. I looked over at the school gossips and smiled sweetly.

I asked innocently, "Lauren, don't you have to find someone new to screw since you've already done all of the guys in our school? Tanya, don't you have to find another bar to drink dry? And Jessica, don't you think it's time to find someone new to suck up to?"

The girls' jaws dropped and their expressions were priceless. They looked completely shocked at what I said. Especially Tanya. She thought that no one knew about her drinking problem when, in fact, everyone in the school knew about it.

Everyone also knew that Lauren was a slut who had sex with multiple guys every day. And Jessica, well… it was in her nature to try to make everyone like her.

Everyone else in the class looked at me, shocked, for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. Lauren, Tanya, and Jessica glared at me. I shrugged and smiled innocently at them.

Just then, the teacher walked in. He called on me a few times and I answered the questions confidently, which was definitely a change, not just because last week I barely participated at all. I was shy even before Renee and Phil died.

I knew where this confidence came from. The night of Renee and Phil's funeral, I promised myself that I'd be what Renee encouraged me to be: independent and confident. She always encouraged me to be my own woman and to not let anyone down.

This was my chance to do this for her. I _would _do this for her. The rest of my morning classes pretty much went the same. Snapping at people who had the guts to say stuff about me being a murderer.

I breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally lunch. When I walked into the cafeteria, everyone went deathly quiet. I could feel all of their curious gazes on me, no doubt because they'd heard about what I'd said to Tanya, Lauren, and Jessica.

Their gazes followed me as I got my food, paid, and walked to an empty table. I was getting kind of annoyed. Finally, I snapped.

"Can't you look away for five seconds so I can eat in _peace_?" I asked.

They turned around quickly and I smirked. That was pretty funny. But just then, Lauren, Tanya, and Jessica walked in. They saw me and glared.

Lauren announced to the whole cafeteria, "Ducky is a loner."

"Loner is a whore," Tanya toned in.

"Whore is a loser," Jessica said.

I applauded them and wiped away a tear that really wasn't there. I smiled at them.

"That was great, guys. I'm so proud. It was really clever," I said, "How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"You little-" Tanya began but I cut her off.

"Or did you pay Eric to make it up for you just like you pay him to do all of your homework?" I asked.

"God," Jessica asked Tanya and Lauren, "What is wrong with her? She was never like this before!"

"And she speaks for herself!" I said, clapping again.

"I think Ducky has finally gone crazy," Tanya sneered.

"Or maybe I've just finally gotten tired of how you treat everyone in the school like trash," I said.

"Says the murderer," Lauren snapped.

"You know what," I said, "I am sick and tired of that stupid rumor going around. You don't know _anything_. Nobody does. I didn't kill _anybody_. My mother was in a car accident. My mother's boyfriend died because an undetected blood clot entered his heart and caused it to fail. Sure, my father was murdered but that doesn't mean I did it. Just because you guys think it would be awesome to have a murderer going to your school doesn't mean it is happening or is going to happen. And for god's sakes, it happened when I was _8_."

When I was done with my rant, I suddenly felt so much better than I've ever had before. I took a deep breath and smiled at the three stunned girls still standing at the front of the cafeteria.

"So, even if you do mind, just shut up so I can eat in peace," I said and sat back down.

I took a bite of my pizza and resisted the urge to scream at the other students in the room. Seconds after I sat down, Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice rushed over to me.

"I can't believe you did that!" Alice squealed.

"Yeah," Emmett said, "That was _awesome_."

"But what's up with the whole attitude change?" Jazz asked.

"Well," I answered, "I've been thinking over the weekend and I've decided that I'm going to stop letting people trample over me. Renee always encouraged me to be more confident and let my feelings be known. I'm going to do just that, for her."

"That's great," Rose said, smiling.

Something wet hit my face and then stuck there. I reached up to pull it off and saw that it was a piece of pizza. I glared at Emmett who was trying to look innocent.

I threw it at him and it landed in the middle of his forehead. This made everyone burst into laughter.

"Hey!" Emmett complained.

"You threw it first," I pointed out.

"I wanted to see how you'd react," he mumbled.

"And you got what you wanted," I said.

We continued to bicker, tease, and laugh for the rest of lunch. We went our separate ways. Afternoon classes went by faster than morning classes, for which I was glad. But then it was time for Gym and I was dreading it.

We were playing dodge ball. Again. I waited for Coach Clapp to blow the whistle. When he did, the balls I had been expecting flew at me. I used my ballet skills to dance out of the way.

Then, I grabbed a ball that had rolled next to me and threw it spontaneously. I heard Coach Clapp say "Out" so I guess I hit someone.

My silent celebrating was cut when I got hit with a dodge ball. My smile fell and I laughed silently at the irony of what had happened.

When Gym was over, I gladly walked out of the building. I looked for Rose and Jazz and saw that Emmett and Alice were with them. Jazz's car doors were wide open and I could hear a hip-hop song playing.

It looked like Alice and Rose were having a dance off with Jazz and Emmett. I watched their moves, silently cheering them on from where I stood. Alice and Rose shook their butts while swinging their hips at the same time.

Jazz and Emmett tried to imitate but failed miserably. Emmett and Jazz began to walk it out towards Alice and Rose. When they reached their respective other, they blew kisses in their stunned faces.

I laughed heartily from where I stood. The four finally noticed me. Alice and Rose gestured to me to dance. Emmett turned the music up and I heard that it was just a backbeat, the music without words.

I smiled and moved my head a bit to the beat. Once I picked up on the irregular beat, I began to dance. I recognized the song. It was Remember the Name by Fort Minor.

I stepped forward and swayed my hips from side to side. I did this for four counts before spinning and putting my hand on my chest. I popped my chest to the beat three times. I sidestepped to the right, extending my right arm to the side at the same time. I brought my right arm and leg back to my body.

I jumped and when I came back down, I moved side to side, almost imperceptibly from far away. I jumped in place three times but made it so that by the end of the third jump, I faced away from them. I stepped to the left, moving my head and body so that it was like I was trying to get under an invisible bar.

I did the same thing to the right and then once more to the left. Then, I pumped my fist in the air three times. While I did this, I jumped again so that I was facing my friends again. Then, I walked it out to them. But when the music hit a hard beat, I'd exaggerate the step and swing one of my hips out.

When I reached my friends, I put my right leg over my left and spun. While I was spinning, I blew a large kiss to Jazz, Rose, Alice, and Emmett. We all laughed before piling into the car and driving to dance lessons.

In ballet class, Miss Santiago pulled me aside.

"For the senior showcase," she asked, "What are you going to be doing?"

"Oh my god," I said, "The showcase. With everything that was going on, I forgot the showcase is in two months."

"That's okay, dear," Miss Santiago said, "You still have a lot of time. Are you going to do a single performance, a paired performance, or a group performance? Or all three?"

"I'm probably just going to do a single performance, though Rose and Alice will probably want to do a group performance. If they do, I'll do a single performance and a group performance," I answered.

"Tell me if you need any help," she said, "You can go places, Bella. You're really talented."

Then, she walked off. I walked back to Alice and Rose. They asked what that was about and I told them what happened.

"Of course I want to do a group performance with you and Rose!" Alice squealed and clapped her hands.

"I have an idea for what song we can dance to, also," Rose said, smiling.

"We'll talk about it after lessons, mmkay?" I said, grinning also.

Alice, Rose and I went through lessons, completely anxious. Though, we should have been paying attention. We were learning a new routine for both our ballet and hip-hop class. Fortunately, I had 14 years of dance experience under my belt, which meant that all the moves Miss Santiago and Mr. Moore threw at me were easy for me to duplicate.

After dance lessons, Rose and Alice told Emmett, Jasper, and Edward to go to another room and practice something so that we girls could figure out our routine. Rose said we should dance to either "Can't Hold Us Down" by Christina Aguilera ft. Li'l Kim or "Hey Ladies" by Destiny's Child.

Both Alice and I voted for "Can't Hold Us Down" by Christina Aguilera ft. Li'l Kim. Its beat was awesome and the lyrics were completely true. We started putting dance moves together. We did this for about an hour.

"We're going to find our boyfriends and take a break," Rose announced, huffing from exertion.

Alice was the same, panting for breath. I, on the other hand, was not out of breath at all. I laughed at how they were reacting to the vigorous moves. I shooed them off and turned to my iPod dock.

I put on a different song. It was sort of like a Goo Goo Dolls medley but it only had two songs. "I'll Be" and "Iris" were the songs that were smushed together in one track. I gladly let it play.

The intro played and I was in a pose waiting for the lyrics to be sung. I stood still, with my eyes closed, head down looking at the ground. My right leg was over my left but both my arms were pointing loosely to the right. (The words that are in bold and stanza-form are the dance moves. The lines that have the dance moves correspond with the lines of the song, meaning that the first line in the dance moves are the moves to the first line in the song. Also, keep in mind that this is a slow song so all of her movements are slow, unless it says otherwise)

_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful_

_Stop me and steal my breath _

_And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky_

_Never revealing their depth_

**Look up, bring left hand to point loosely to the left and roll head around**

**Put both hands up suddenly, jumping and landing, feet apart, and then put one hand on chest, pulling it away from my body  
and bring it to point to my right again**

**Put hands together, twirl and then thrust hands up**

**Let hands drop slowly, swaying them a little from side to side**

_And tell me that we belong together _

_Dress it up with the trappings of love _

_I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips_

_Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above_

**Step to the right and half-pivot to step to the left, repeat**

**Stop, reach out, bring hands back to chest**

**Bend backwards and circle arms above body**

**Straighten back, cover heart with hands and then bring right arm to reach loosely for the ceiling, look at hand while doing so.**

_And I'll be your cryin' shoulder _

_I'll be love's suicide _

_I'll be better when I'm older_

_I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

**Face forward, place hand on chest, hold out in front of body**

**Drape right arm around front of body to touch left hip**

**Drape left arm around back of body to touch right hip**

**Step to the left and spin, slowly raising arms until they're above head**

_And rain falls angry on the tin roof_

_As we lie awake in my bed_

_You're my survival, you're my living proof_

_My love is alive and not dead_

**Since hands are above head, bring them down like rain, at the word "falls" kneel on one knee and at the word "angry" bang hands, palm down, on the floor**

**Put other knee down and wrap arms around chest**

**Reach out in front of body and look pleading**

**Stand up and get on right tip-toe, spin on it once before putting both feet flat on the ground**

_So tell me that we belong together_

_Dress it up with the trappings of love_

_I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips_

_Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above_

**Step to the right and half-pivot to step to the left, repeat**

**Stop, reach out, bring hands back to chest**

**Bend backwards and circle arms above body**

**Straighten back, cover heart with hands and then bring right arm to reach loosely for the ceiling, look at hand while doing so.**

_And I'll be your cryin' shoulder _

_I'll be love's suicide_

_I'll be better when I'm older_

_I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

**Face forward, place hand on chest, hold out in front of body**

**Drape right arm around front of body to touch left hip**

**Drape left arm around back of body to touch right hip**

**Step to the left and spin, slowly raising arms until they're above head**

_And I've dropped out, I've burned up_

_I fought my way back from the dead_

_I've tuned in, I've turned on_

_Remembered the things that you said_

**Fall to one knee and then push hands upward, palms up**

**Swipe air with right hand before swiping the air with the left hand**

**Sweep arms out, punch air above the knee that's up**

**Stand up and do six fouette en tournants**

_And I'll be your cryin' shoulder _

_I'll be love's suicide_

_I'll be better when I'm older_

_I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

**Face forward, place hand on chest, hold out in front of body**

**Drape right arm around front of body to touch left hip**

**Drape left arm around back of body to touch right hip**

**Step to the left and spin, slowly raising arms until they're above head**

_The greatest fan of your life_

**End by slowly returning back to the beginning pose, except look up instead of down**

I stopped, breathing evenly. I was thinking about moves to the next song, but I couldn't for long because a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"That was absolutely captivating," Edward said from the doorway.

I lost my concentration, therefore losing my balance, which made me fall on my butt. I glared at Edward.

"What do you want, Edward?" I asked.

My voice sounded dead. There was no emotion in it.

"Alice and Rose kicked me out of the room to talk to their boyfriends," he explained, "I was wandering the halls and then I saw you dancing and stuck around to keep watching."

"That's nice," I said, no emotion coloring my voice.

"Talk to me?" Edward asked.

"No, thank you," I answered, my voice still dead.

"Bella," Edward said, sounding hopeless, "Give me some emotion, please. Scream at me, tell me you hate me, anything. Just give me some emotion."

I really didn't want to talk to him. How could I get my point across to him without speaking to him? How else was I good in getting my emotions across to other people? And then it hit me. I'd dance with him.

"Dance with me," I ordered, walking to my iPod dock, looking for a song we could dance to.

"What?" he asked when I was scrolling through my music.

"Dance. With. Me," I said, enunciating each word distinctly.

"Why?" he questioned, totally lost.

"You want emotion," I explained, my voice still emotionless, "But I don't want to talk to you. So, dance with me."

"Okay," he said but he sounded unsure.

I found a nice, fast rock song that I adored. It was "The Suffering" by Coheed & Cambria. It began and I quickly stood to face Edward. I walked saucily up to him. When I reached him, the man had begun singing.

I walked around Edward in a circle, trailing my hand on his chest. I pushed him gently away and walked away, twirling on my tiptoes. He grabbed my hand and tried to gently pull me back to him.

I let him twirl me into his chest, but then I twisted to look at him. I wanted to escape his arms and I'm sure he saw that in my eyes. He tried to hug me to his chest, but once his arms came up I ducked under them and jumped away from him, landing, and then sliding, on my knees.

He did the same, stopping just behind me. He put his arms around my waist and I leaned back into him. I began rolling my body and Edward followed. I twisted around so that I was on top of him. I pushed his shoulders hard enough that he slid back a few inches.

I brought my knees to my arms and stood up. Edward stared at me as I did so. I pointed at him, my arm loose, as I swung my hips from side to side. I shook my head and then shook my finger at him.

He stood up and strode purposefully to me. He pulled me into ballroom dancing stance. He pulled me close, as if we were going to tango. And that's what we did. We tangoed.

Edward walked me backwards but after a few steps, I began to lead _him_ backwards. He tried to twirl me but I ended up twirling him. He began to walk me backwards again, but I lead him backwards once more.

When he tried to twirl me, I let him. While he twirled me, I broke away from his grasp. He grabbed my hips and then lifted me into the air, above his head. I glared at him. He swung me around before setting me down.

I did a few fouette en tournants, causing Edward to step away from me. He stepped back but then suddenly ran at me. He grabbed me by the waist again and then lifted me once more.

I sighed in defeat. When he let me down, I let him put his forehead against my own. The song ended at the exact time his forehead touched mine.

I pushed him away from me. There was clapping from the entryway. I turned to find a shocked Alice, Rose, Emmett, Jasper _and_ Mr. Moore and Miss Santiago. I blinked twice at them. The clapping had come from Mr. Moore.

I looked at the others and teased, "Still breathing?"

I walked to my iPod dock and turned it off.

"That was pretty intense," Mr. Moore said.

"That was _hot_," Rose added.

"Most definitely," Alice agreed.

"Are you two going to do a pairing for the showcase?" Miss Santiago asked.

"No," I answered.

"You should," she said, "You guys have chemistry. You seemed incredibly pissed at him but then at the end, you were't as much as before and it showed in the way you let him hold you. That would be _perfect_ for the showcase."

"I don't think Edward would want to-" I started but Edward cut me off.

"I'd like to do something for the senior showcase with you," he said.

"You really should, Bella," Mr. Moore said, sensing my reluctance.

"It would help your chances of getting a scholarship and good recommendations," Alice said.

"Fine," I said and turned to Edward, "Do you want to do the senior showcase with me?"

"I'd love to," he said, smiling.

"But, wait," I asked, "Wouldn't that mean that I'm doing too much for the showcase?"

"That's true," Mr. Moore muttered.

"I got it!" Emmett boomed.

"Yes, Emmett?" I prompted.

"Why don't the six of us do a group performance? The routine could go like this: First, the pairs will dance, then the girls will dance together, then the boys will dance together, and then all six of us will dance together. It would be perfect and then besides the group performance, we'll all do a separate solo performance," he explained.

"That's a great idea, Em!" Alice said.

"I'm in," Rose said.

"Me too," Jazz said.

"I'm up for it," Edward said.

"Fine," I caved, "I'm in."

This was great. I mean, I was ecstatic about doing the showcase with my best friends, but did I _have_ to be paired up with Edward Cullen?

_Ugh_, I thought, _This showcase better be worth it_.

* * *

**How was that?**

**Review please!**

**I love your reviews!**

**I really want to know how I did with the choreography.**

**I haven't written a real dance scene in a while.**

**So, please tell me how I did.**

**I love you all, my faithful readers!**

**-Jules  
**


	10. DidHeJustSayThat?

"No, Bella!" Alice scolded me for the umpteenth time, "_Edward_ is supposed to lead. Dammit, give up some control, please. It won't kill you to just let him lead for _two minutes_."

I let go of Edward to turn to my pixie of a best friend.

"He's pissing me off," I said, "He keeps poking my side to get me to talk to him."

"Then, talk to him so we can get this part of the routine over and done with," Rose said.

"Frickin' A," I said, "Can we just take a break?"

"Fine," Alice said, "Break time, everybody. Fifteen minutes is all you get."

This was the third practice for our group routine of the week, and I was already about ready to strangle Edward. He'd been trying to talk to me, but I refused to acknowledge him. So, today, he was reduced to poking me in the side, completely throwing me off on our dance steps.

I sighed and walked out of the room we had been practicing in, bringing my iPod with me. I went into the room next door and put some classical music on. I didn't dance this time. Instead, I sat down in the middle of the room and meditated.

Meditation wasn't something I usually did, but I felt like I needed to center myself just then. I didn't make any noises either. I just breathed deeply in and out. I focused on the rhythm of my breathing.

I sensed two other people walk into the room and sit on either side of me.

"Alice," I said in acknowledgement, "Rose."

"How did you know it was us?" Rose asked.

"Your footsteps are light," I answered, "I doubt Emmett's, Jasper's, or Edward's footsteps are as light as yours."

"Okay," Alice said, "Moving on to what we really wanted to talk to you about…"

"Yes?" I prompted.

"Edward," Rose said simply.

"What about?" I sighed.

"Can't you be a _tiny_ bit nicer to him?" Alice asked.

"He's _trying _to be nice," Rose said.

"Key word: trying," I pointed out.

"Retract the claws and stop breathing fire, Bella," Alice admonished, "It's not attractive."

"I don't care about being attractive," I said, "I just want him to leave me alone."

"Fine," Alice said, sighing, "We'll talk to him."

"Thank you," I said and went back to my meditation.

I heard them leave the room. I refocused on my breathing but then heard two more pairs of footsteps, heavier this time, come towards me and then sit on either side of me.

"Emmett," I said, inclining my head in acknowledgement, "Jazz."

"Damn, that is so _awesome_!" Emmett yelled, stunning me because I had gotten used to the silence.

"Emmett," I said, warningly, "I am _meditating_. It requires concentration and _silence_."

"Sorry, Bella," Emmett muttered.

"Now, to get to the subject that we really came in here for," Jasper said.

"You just sounded a lot like Alice," I said.

"Don't change the subject," Emmett warned.

"Ugh," I said, "Okay, okay. Edward, yeah whatever."

"He seems like he's really trying," Emmett said.

"Yeah," Jazz said, "He hasn't really been himself lately."

"I honestly couldn't care less," I said.

"But-" Emmett tried to say but I snapped.

I opened my eyes and whirled to face him.

"Edward doesn't give a shit about me," I said, "All he cares about is himself and the sluts he goes out with. That's why I don't give a flying rat's butt about him."

"But he rea-" Jazz tried to say but I whirled to face _him_.

"He's said enough stuff to keep me hurting for a _very_ long time," I said, "And I _want_ to stop hurting. I'm so freaking _tired_ of hurting. Yet, after everything, I'm still _hurt_. So can everyone just leave me the hell alone!?"

Both Jazz and Emmett looked a little bit hurt but I closed my eyes and tried to breathe evenly. I heard them walk away. It was quiet after a few minutes. I was beginning to feel the urge to get up and dance again.

I sighed and walked to my iPod. I looked for a song that explained how I felt at that moment. I felt hurt and alone, and I just wanted someone strong to help me back up. I wished Renee were still alive.

I found a song that explained how I felt at the moment I realized that I really wanted Renee back. "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey ft. Boyz II Men. I got in a ballet position. I stood on my left tiptoe, my right foot against the upper part of my left thigh and hand clasped together in the air above my head.

_Sorry I never told you_

_All I wanted to say_

_And now it's too late to hold you_

_'Cause you've flown away_

_So far away_

**Spin in place, move leg out**

**Jump and land on right foot**

**Step criss-cross and slowly lift left leg up**

**Once left leg is all the way up, grab toe of left foot**

**Spin in place**

_Never had I imagined_

_Living without your smile_

_Feeling and knowing you hear me_

_It keeps me alive_

_Alive_

**Both feet on the ground **

**Run and jump**

**Four fouette en tournants**

**Bring left knee and right arm up and point**

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven_

_Like so many friends we've lost along the way_

_And I know eventually we'll be together_

_One sweet day_

**Bring both hands together and press to cheek**

**Hold both hands out in front of body**

**Hold chest as if trying to keep it together**

**Right arm behind back, left arm across front**

_Darling I never showed you_

_Assumed you'd always be there_

_I took your presence for granted_

_But I always cared_

_And I miss the love we shared_

**Step to the side, pivot, step to the side**

**Step to the opposite side, pivot, step again**

**Get on both tip-toes**

**Twirl on left tiptoe and then-**

My ankle suddenly gave out and I collapsed onto the floor. I felt strong emotions course through me, mostly guilt and regret for being such a bitch the past three days.

I pounded my fist again the wooden floors once before hugging my knees to my chest. I heard someone walk in and sit next to me.

I had a feeling that it wasn't Rose, Jazz, Alice, or Em.

"Are you okay?" a velvet voice asked.

I was correct.

"Why do I always mess things up, Edward?" I asked rhetorically.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I always push people away when they're trying to help," I explained, "I'm always being such a bitch to you. I'm always so pushy and stubborn, and I'm absolutely stupid for not thinking before I say stuff anymore. It's always my fault that I feel so alone."

Edward wrapped his arms around me, and tears overflowed from my eyes. I hit Edward's chest, trying to make him let go of me. After many futile attempts, I finally gave up and hugged Edward back.

I buried my face in his chest and let the silent tears stream down my face.

"My dear Bella," Edward said, "It's not your fault. You're not pushing Rose, Jazz, Alice and Emmett away. You being pushy and stubborn is a good thing, so is speaking your mind. You're never alone, don't forget that, and _I'm_ actually the one who's been such a jerk to _you_. I've said such horrible things and I didn't mean it at all. I'm sorry I was such a jerk, so just stop blaming yourself, my Bella. It's not your fault."

How had he known I was talking about Em, Rose, Jazz, and Alice when I said "pushing people away"? And wait. _Had he really just said that?

* * *

_

**EPOV**

_Had I really just told Bella all that? _I thought, _I hadn't really meant to, but I'm glad it slipped out._

_

* * *

_

**How was that?**

**Review, please!**

**Er... This was a little less than my best but I've been stressed lately.**

**I love you my faithful readers!**

**Thank you!**

**-Jules  
**


	11. ICanTotallyHandleIt

**EPOV**

Not long after Bella quieted and her sobs became nothing more than hiccups did the rest of the gang show up. They seemed shocked at first. Alice was the first to react.

"Okay," she said, "That's it. Practice is over for today. Girls, we're going to the Cullen household. Boys, you're going to the Hale's residence. Then, the boys will come over to the Cullen house and we'll have a sleepover."

I helped Bella stand up. Rose and Alice grabbed her hands and led her away from the room. Emmett and Jasper walked up to me and each put a hand on either of my shoulders.

"Come on, man," Emmett said, "Let's go."

The three of us walked in silence to Em's Jeep. The ride home was equally silent and awkward, though I wasn't paying attention. I was too caught up in my thoughts.

I hadn't even really thought before taking Bella into my arms earlier. She just looked so fucking broken… I'd known I had to do something. Next thing I knew, I was telling her I was sorry.

I seriously hoped she was all right with Rosalie and Alice at that moment. It was then that I realized I, Edward Cullen, was actually _worried_, genuinely concerned. What the hell? I also realized that I'd accidentally called Bella, "my" Bella. What the fuck was wrong with me?

My thoughts were disrupted when a large hand was waved in from of my face. I shook my head to get rid of my thoughts and stared at the concerned faces of my two best friends.

"Dude," Em said, "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

I climbed out of the car and we walked into Jasper's house. All three of us collapsed in his living room and we were quiet once again. Jasper was the one who broke it.

"What did you do to Bella?" he asked.

He didn't sound angry. He just sounded… tired.

"I didn't do anything," I said truthfully, "I was watching her as she danced and then, suddenly, she fell to the floor and started crying. So, I comforted her."

"Bullshit," Em said, "You? Comforting a girl without shoving your tongue down her throat? Yeah right."

"Guys," I said, "I'm serious. I just let her cry into my shirt and I… may… have said sorry…"

Emmett and Jasper burst into disbelieving laughter.

"You?" Jasper asked incredulously, "Said… _sorry?!"_

"Yes," I spat, "Why is that so fucking hard to believe?"

"Because you, dear brother," Emmett said, "Are incapable of apologizing."

"I'm not incapable," I said, "I just don't like apologizing."

"Like that's a difference," Jazz muttered.

"Well," Emmett said, "What made you want to apologize to Bella?"

"I don't know," I said, "But… I actually felt… _sorry_ for being such a jackass to her."

Emmett and Jazz were quiet for a moment.

"Are… you… serious?!" Em exclaimed.

"Damn," Jasper said, "Bella is a miracle worker."

"Shut up, stupid jerks," I said.

"Well," Emmett stated, "You're not exactly the type of guy who is ever sorry. No offense, dude, but you're an asshole."

"Thanks," I retorted sarcastically, "You make me feel so much better about myself."

"That's what brothers and best friends are for," Emmett said while giving me a shit-eating grin.

"Anyways," Jazz said, "Back to the subject at hand… do you like Bella?"

I literally choked on my own spit.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

"Oh, stop it, Edward," Jazz said, "You're acting like a frickin' girl. Do you?"

"Er," I said, thinking.

Did I like Bella? I mean, she was attractive but she could be a huge bitch at times too. But then again, her bitch fits were usually triggered by something horribly jerk-ish I did. Did I like the way Bella's eyes sparkled when she was happy? Did I like how she bit her lip when she was nervous? Did I like how incredibly smart and witty she is?

"Good question," I commented but didn't say anything else.

* * *

**BPOV**

Alice and Rose pulled me to Rose's car. We drove to Alice's house in complete silence. Once at the Cullen's house, we all got out of the car and walked into the living room. We all flopped onto the carpeted floor.

"Bella," Rose asked as gently as she could, "What the hell happened with Edward?"

"I have no clue," I answered, staring at the ceiling.

"Did Edward do anything to hurt you?" Alice asked.

"No," I replied, "In fact, he actually apologized."

"Are you kidding?" Alice exclaimed.

"Nope," I said, popping the "p".

"Interesting," Rose murmured, "I didn't know the bastard was _capable_ of being sorry."

"Wait, wait," Alice said, "Bella, please start from the beginning."

So, I told the both of them everything. When I was done, I was tackled to the ground by both of them. Then they both started blubbering about being sorry for not being there for me and not comforting me and how good it was that Edward was there to tell me the truth and yadda yadda yadda.

Suddenly, Alice stopped talking and looked at me curiously.

"What?" I asked her.

"Do you like Edward?" she asked bluntly.

I almost fell over from the question. But, it was definitely something to think about. Edward definitely was hot, but he was always such a player and a huge bastard. Did I like how his green eyes dazzled me? Did I like how frustrating he was? Did I like how smooth his voice was?

"Good question," I said and promptly changed the subject to safer, more comfortable ground.

When the boys came over later that night, I made sure to avoid Edward. For some reason, I felt a little uncomfortable around him. We watched a bunch of funny movies like Run, Fatboy, Run and White Chicks.

After watching A Knight's Tale, everyone fell asleep. I turned everything off before I lay down on the floor. Then, I heard someone call my name softly. I sat up and looked around. Nobody had woken up but I heard someone call my name again.

I looked to the source and saw Edward. He said my name in his sleep once more. I was confused. Was he dreaming about me? That was definitely… most interesting.

I shook my head and smiled slightly as I lay back down. That night, I dreamt about Edward Cullen and I woke up to a bunch of giggling. I opened my eyes and glared at the people who woke me up.

Rose, Jazz, Alice, and Em were awake and were laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing," Alice replied.

"It's just…" Rose said.

"You and Edward…"

Jazz added.

"You two are hilarious!" Emmett finally boomed, "Edward's all 'Bella, Bella,' in his sleep and you, Bella, are all 'Edward, Edward' in your sleep. It's absolutely hilarious."

"Shut up," I said and turned on my side to go back to sleep. It was Saturday morning, thank the lord, so I wanted to sleep in.

When I woke up again, it was to someone laughing once more.

"God dammit," I said, "Can I please sleep in peace?"

"Sorry," a smooth voice answered.

Oh, shit. Edward.

"Whatever," I grumbled, "I'm awake anyway."

"Good morning to you too," he said.

"Morning," I grumbled.

"Listen, Bella," Edward said, "I meant what I said yesterday about being sorry. Do you think… that… maybe we can be friends?"

"Sure," I answered, "Friends."

Why did I feel a weird twinge of disappointment after I said that?

* * *

**So, what do you think?**

**Review please!**

**I love you all!**

**I want to see if we can get up to 200 reviews ;]**

**-Jules  
**


	12. IsSomeoneWatchingMe?

Being friends with Edward was definitely different than being friends with Alice and Rose. We weren't exactly talking to each other, but we weren't at each other's throats either. I certainly didn't think that it qualified as a friendship but I let it go.

A week came and went and I, fortunately, didn't have any other random breakdowns. Rose, Alice, Em, and Jazz seemed to want to go out more. I just tagged along with them.

Today was Friday night and they wanted to go to this teen club in Port Angeles (**AN: Can anybody tell me which of my other fanfics has this club?**) I was a little reluctant to go. Not only would I have to endure a few hours of Alice's torture, but recently I've been feeling a little paranoid.

I've felt like I'm being watched all the time. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was most intense at night, so every time a shadow moved, I was scared shitless.

The only time this ever happened before was about five years ago, around the time of Charlie's death anniversary. Speaking of, the same date is coming up soon… Anyways, I felt like I was being watched back then too. Now that the feeling was back, I was feeling really scared.

It was stupid, I know, but I couldn't help but feel scared. I hated the feeling of being watched. I didn't mention anything to the others, though, so I couldn't refuse going to the club.

That was why I was currently sitting on Alice's bed, waiting for her to find an outfit for me to wear. She danced out of her bathroom with something dark blue in her hands.

She lay it down on her bed before grabbing my hand and pulling me to her vanity mirror. She began doing my make up and my hair.

We were quiet. She sensed that I didn't want to talk. I don't know why I didn't want to talk, I just felt like enjoying the quiet.

Everything's been so stressful lately. The showcase was coming up and I was completely stressed about my solo routine.

So, I didn't complain once as Alice finished up my make-up and hair. When she was done, I gave her a hug that rivaled Emmett's.

"Thanks, pix," I said.

"Pix?" she asked, completely lost.

"Yes," I answered, "As in pixie."

"Oh, shut up," she told me, "And put this on."

She shoved the blue thing she'd been holding earlier into my hands. I laughed at her scowling face but she ended up joining me in my laughter too. I walked into her bathroom and changed into the dress.

It was a dark blue, halter-top dress, which clung to my curves and ended a couple of inches above my knees. It also had a very low, V-like back. I walked out of Alice's bathroom and I saw her standing in front of her mirror in a yellow tube-top with tight black leggings underneath. She was also wearing matching stilettos.

She looked incredible and my self-confidence suffered a low blow. It also didn't help that at that exact moment, Rose stepped into the room in a fie engine red spaghetti strap dress with matching heels.

My self-confidence absolutely plummeted. Freaking awesome. But then Rose and Alice gasped as they saw me.

"You look amazing," Rose gushed.

"Absolutely hot," Alice agreed.

I rolled my eyes at them. I walked in front of the vanity mirror and turned around to look at the back of the dress. I grimaced as I saw that my scar could easily be seen. Rose and Alice gasped as they saw it too.

"What the hell happened there?" Alice asked.

I scowled at the long but thin, pale white scar that ran from the bottom of my left shoulder blade to the middle of my back.

"I have no idea," I admitted, "All I remember is waking up with a huge cut on my back one day, about five years ago."

"It's so visible, though," Alice murmured.

"Well," Rose said, deep in thought, "You know, we can always put cover up on it."

"Brilliant idea, Rose!" Alice exclaimed.

Then, they began to put cover up on my scar. When they were done, you couldn't see it at all.

"Nice work," I commented.

"Thanks," Alice and Rose said at the same time.

"Now, for the shoes," Alice announced.

Then, she handed me a pair of two and a half inch silver gladiator heels. I pulled them on and I looked really good.

Alice had lightly curled my hair and put eyeliner, smoky eye shadow, mascara and bright red lipstick. I liked how I looked tonight.

Just then, we heard the boy's voices downstairs. Rose, Alice, and I grinned. We hooked arms and then walked together down the stairs into the living room.

Poor Emmett and Jasper looked like their jaws were going to unhinge and then hit the floor. Edward wasn't much better. He was openly gawking at me. It made me uncomfortable.

But, I grinned and bore it as we glided, oh, so gracefully down the staircase. Of course, until I had to ruin it and stumble with my heel and accidentally fly into Emmett's arms.

"Jeez, Bells," he said, "Don't you know that I'm taken? I mean, you're extremely hot and all, but you're just not the girl for me."

"Oh, shut up and let me down," I said.

Everyone laughed as he put me down. I steadied myself using Emmett's massive bicep and then we were all walking down the driveway to Emmett's jeep. Because Em's jeep could only hold five people, I ended up sitting in between/on Jasper and Edward.

Edward kept shifting in his seat, which got pretty annoying. But the weird thing was, was that every time he moved in his seat, Jasper would chuckle lowly and Emmett, when he looked at us in the back mirror, would smile knowingly.

I didn't get it at all. So, I just shrugged it off. It didn't take too long to get to the club. Once we got there, we all eagerly stepped out. Our excitement was cut short as we saw the line, though.

Rose and I just grinned. She, Jazz, and I had gone to this club before. It was the Cullen's first time, though. She and I, instead of getting in line, strode confidently up to the bouncer.

I quickly grabbed Rose's hand and intertwined our fingers. We walked up to the bouncer and smiled sweetly at him, the others hesitating just behind us. I smiled wider, recognizing the bouncer.

"Hey, Steve," I said, smirking at the six-foot-something, dark-haired, handsome bouncer.

"Bella," Steve said, "And dear Rosalie. My, my, what a surprise."

"Seriously," Rose said, "The last few times Bella and I were here, we didn't get to see you."

"Well," Steve said, "I _heard_ about _you_ two. The both of you are absolutely ruthless. Bella, that stunt you pulled on the new guy, the one where you whispered in his ear and trailed your hand on his chest, gave him a permanent case of wood for two straight months."

"I have that effect on people," I admitted with a laugh.

"Oh," Steve said, "Well, no need for your strategies tonight. You unfortunately know that I'll let you in either way. And who are your friends?"

"This is my boyfriend, Emmett," Rose said, pointing to Em, "And you remember my brother Jazz."

Steve gave them a manly nod. Jazz put an arm around Alice.

"This is my girlfriend Alice," Jazz introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Steve said.

"You too," Alice chirped back.

"And this jerk, here, is Edward," I said as I pointed to him.

"Hey," Edward complained.

I laughed and everyone joined me.

"No boyfriend?" Steve asked, eyeing me up and down.

"Not yet," I said slyly, "But I'm hoping to change that tonight."

"Hmm," Steve said, "Save me a few dances, Bella. I'm going to find you on my break."

"Don't forget," I said, "I'm the one in the blue dress."

"And I'm in the all black outfit," Steve said with a laugh as he let us inside the rope.

Just then, the feeling that I was being watched intensified and I stiffened slightly as we entered the club. Alice and Rose both put an arm around me and led me into the club.

The place was absolutely packed. Teen bodies were grinding together. Alice and Rose immediately started dragging me to the designated dance floor area.

We made our own group. Or, well, Rose and Alice decided to sandwich me and then start to grind and sway our hips.

After a few songs of this, Emmett and Jazz stole Rose and Alice away from me so I kind of just stood there, until an arm snaked around my waist and I turned around to see Steve.

"Hey," I said.

"I got a buddy of mine to take over my shift so I can hang with you all I want," he said, smiling mischievously at me.

He put his hands on my waist and I put my arms on his shoulders. We swayed to the music together.

"So, how old are you know?" Steve asked.

"18," I answered, "You?"

"20," he said.

"Cool," I replied with a smirk, "I like older guys."

Then, I turned around so that my back was to Steve. I stepped back a little so that his chest was touching my back. He brought my closer to him and we started to sway again. We ended up just dancing like that while we talked about trivial things like school and stuff.

When the conversation lulled a bit, I decided to have some fun, like I always do. I did a booty drop and then slowly brought myself up. Steve and I both laughed as about three other guys decided to dance around me.

I took turns dancing with each of the guys before excusing myself to get a quick drink. I ordered a coke. I sipped it in a dark corner of the club as I searched the room for my friends. I couldn't see them at all.

But then, I spotted someone familiar. I walked up to him and confirmed my suspicions.

"James?" I asked, "Is that you?"

"Bella?" he asked, "As in Chief Swan's daughter?"

"Yes," I said, "It's me."

"Damn," he said, "You definitely have grown."

"You too," I said, "Why are you in here though? I thought this was a _teen _club."

James used to be one of Charlie's coworkers. He was at least 29, though and I haven't seen him in ten years. He moved away shortly after Charlie died. He'd gotten another job offer up in New York.

"I'm trying to chase down my niece," he said, "She was around here somewhere, but I lost her."

"Well, then, you better go find her," I said, laughing.

I watched as he parted through the crowds. I looked around me and saw that there was an open back door that was letting in a nice cool breeze. I sighed as I was alone again, but then I felt somebody caressing my back. I smiled, figuring it was Steve, Edward, or someone else I knew.

"Hey," I said, but then realized where the person was caressing my back.

The person was caressing the exact spot of my covered up scar. I froze and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I tried to turn around but the person who had been touching my back restrained me from turning. The person whispered in my ear.

"Goodbye Isabella," was all the deep, male voice said.

And then I was being dragged out of the open backdoor by my hair. The man had grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me to the ground, out the door, and down the alley. I felt one of my shoes come off my foot painfully as it got caught on the door.

My thoughts were whirling but were barely coherent through the pounding pain reverberating in my skull. Who was this man? Why was he doing this to me? Has he been watching me? What the hell was going on?!

I thought about self-defense. I tried digging my nails into the mysterious man's wrists, but it didn't work. I tried prying his hands loose from my hair but to no avail. Finally, I just started screaming bloody murder, hoping anybody would hear me and help me.

After a half minute of shrieking at the top of my lungs, I was beginning to lose hope. So instead of screaming, I started thrashing. Even though my hair was being pulled out from the roots while I did it, I still struggled. I threw my body weight to the left and to the right and back and forth and back and forth.

Finally, the man was forced to pick me up by my hair and throw me against the wall. I cried out loudly from the pain. That's when I heard the most relieving thing I could have ever heard.

"Bella!" familiar voices shouted from a few feet away in the general direction I had been dragged away from.

I heard the stranger curse and then pull something out of his pocket. I heard a click and then pain bloomed in a parallel line next to my original scar.

"Think of it as another token to remember me by," the stranger said, "Just like the one I gave you five years ago. I'll see you soon, Isabella."

"You _bastard!" _I spat, "I swear I'll get you arrested for this!"

The man just chuckled and answered, "We'll see about that."

And then I heard his running footsteps quickly fading away. Rose, Jazz, Alice, Emmett, Edward, and Steve all cam into my view in the next minute.

I was breathing heavily, the adrenaline from what happened was pounding through my veins. I tried to sit up buy sharp pain lanced through my left arm.

"Oh, god," Jasper breathed.

"What the hell happened?" Rose growled out.

"I have no idea," I answered softly but shakily and then promptly passed out.

* * *

**I bet you didn't see that coming.**

**It was a swift change of plot.**

**But, hell, it was coming so I decided, why not give it a bang?**

**If you have any questions, just ask them and I will try to answer them so long as I don't give the plot away.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**I love you all!**

**-Jules  
**


	13. IsSomeoneStalkingHer?

**EPOV**

The air between Bella and I has been awkward recently. Not that I cared. Much. I mean, at all. Seriously, I didn't. I couldn't care less about Bella. Uh-huh, I don't give a shit at all.

Who the hell was I kidding? I certainly cared that Bella and I couldn't strike up a normal conversation. It was always so awkward. Dammit. I was so frustrated with this girl.

I wanted to talk to her, to get to know her, but I couldn't. What the hell was wrong with her? No. What the hell was wrong with _me?_

I sighed out loud and rolled off my bed to get ready for tonight. Alice wanted to go to a teen club in Port Angeles.

I put on a dark button down t-shirt, rolling up the sleeves to me elbows and leaving the top three buttons loose. I added jeans to it and decided that I was ready.

I headed downstairs to where Jazz and Em already stood, dressed and waiting. We started talking about the basketball game that had been on last night.

A few minutes later, we heard the click-clack of the girls' high heels. All three of us turned to the staircase and watched as Bella, Alice, and Rosalie descended.

I could practically hear Jasper and Emmett's mouths hit the floor. I wouldn't have laughed, even if I could, because I was much in the same state.

Bella was wearing a stunning dark blue halter dress that had a barely-existent back. It hugged her curves and gave me a very nice view of her long, lean legs and her pale back.

I'm sure Bella caught me staring, but I couldn't bring myself to close my jaw. She was just so stunning. I let my eyes rake over her body. Suddenly, my jeans seemed to be a little bit tighter than before.

I watched as Bella gracefully glided down the stairs in silver heels. At the last few steps though, she tripped and then flew into Emmett's arms, inadvertently hiking up her dress.

My breath hitched, though it wasn't audible, thank God. Emmett put her down with a smart-ass comment and we laughed before walking to Em's jeep.

We quickly realized we had a problem. There were six of us, but Em's jeep only fit five. Bella ended up sitting practically on Jasper and me.

It was pure torture. My… problem… never went away. In fact, I think that my jeans just kept getting tighter and tighter throughout the whole car ride.

I kept shifting in my seat, hoping Bella wouldn't notice. Everyone else in the car but Bella seemed to know what was going on. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when we finally reached the club.

We all stepped out and I breathed the fresh air. I was a little discouraged when I saw that line leading to the club. It was really long. Damn.

I was just about to walk to the end of the line when Rose and Bella clasped hands and then walked right up to the bouncer.

Jazz smiled knowingly before following them. Em, Alice and I shared a quick look before following.

"Hey, Steve," Bella said to the bouncer.

He was tall, about 6'6" with dark hair. He was pretty good-looking and a feeling of envy rose up in me. Confusion welled with it. Who was this Steve? And why was I so jealous?

"Bella," Steve the bouncer said, "And dear Rosalie. My, my, what a surprise."

"Seriously," Rose said, "The last few times Bella and I were here, we didn't get to see you."

"Well," Steve said, "I _heard_ about _you_ two. The both of you are absolutely ruthless. Bella, that stunt you pulled on the new guy, the one where you whispered in his ear and trailed your hand on his chest, gave him a permanent case of wood for two straight months."

"I have that effect on people," Bella said with a laugh.

"Oh," Steve said, "And who are your friends?"

"This is my boyfriend, Emmett," Rose said, pointing to Em, "And you remember my brother Jazz."

Steve nodded at them.

"This is my girlfriend Alice," Jazz introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Steve said.

"You too," Alice chirped back.

"And this jerk, here, is Edward," Bella said and pointed to me.

"Hey," I complained.

Everyone laughed at my expense, but Bella's chuckle was contagious so I had to join in.

"No boyfriend?" Steve asked Bella.

"Not yet," she answered, "But I'm hoping to change that tonight."

"Hmm," Steve said, "Save me a few dances, Bella. I'm going to find you on my break."

"Don't forget," she said, "I'm the one in the blue dress."

"And I'm in the all black outfit," Steve said with a laugh as he let us inside the rope.

I wanted to shake my fist at Steve, but knew that I would look like a complete idiot, not to mention feel like one, so I restrained.

We were about to walk through the rope when Bella suddenly stiffened. Rose and Alice ushered her into the club, though, before I had the chance to ask her what was wrong.

The club was very much full. Hundreds of teens were grinding together on the dance floor. Alice, Bella, and Rose joined the crowd, surely giving Em and Jazz the problem that I'd had in the car, and renewing my own problem.

The three of us quickly headed to the drink bar. We ordered sodas and sat around, talking about video games and sports.

Girls repeatedly came up to us and tried to get us to dance with them. Eventually, Jazz and Em went to go get their girls, leaving me by myself.

I sighed. After a few minutes, a blonde haired girl with blue eyes approached me and asked for a dance. I decided to give it a shot.

We walked to the edge of the dance floor and she began grinding on me. I swayed my hips to match her movements. After the song ended, more girls crowded around me so I just danced with all of them to get them off my back.

After the eighth girl, I pushed my way through the crowd to go back to the bar. Once there, I ordered a safe sex on the beach, a non-alcoholic sex on the beach. Rose, Em, Alice and Jasper eventually all joined me.

We talked for a few minutes, catching our breath from dancing. Just then, Steve ran up to us.

"Have you seen Bella?" he asked.

"No," we all answered.

"I thought she was with you," Alice said.

"She was," Steve said, "But, then she went over here to get a drink and now, I can't find her anywhere."

"Well," I said, "Let's look around. We can look around the dance floor, first, before looking on the dance floor."

We started walking to the right of the bar, sticking to the walls. We only walked about two minutes when Alice, beside me, shivered. Jasper put an arm around her.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, looking confused, "There was just a slight breeze…"

I looked around in confusion. There shouldn't have been a breeze. It should have been really hot because of all the bodies.

I saw a door that was slightly open in a spot on the wall. The breeze was coming from there, something shiny was wedged between the wall and the door, keeping it open.

"Isn't that…?" Alice asked.

"Bella's shoe? I think it is," Rose said.

Everyone hurriedly rushed to the door. Indeed, it was Bella's shoe. We heard a high, panicked screaming coming from somewhere out the door, in the alley. It suddenly cut off and my heart thudded against my ribcage.

Then, we heard muffled thumping. Next, one large thump and then a girl cried out. It was obvious that the cry was one of pain.

The six of us didn't waste any time. We barreled through the door and turned towards the direction where we'd heard the voice.

"Bella!" we all shouted at the same time.

Sure enough, there was a man, in an all black outfit and a ski mask, standing over Bella, who lay on the floor at the mouth of the alley.

He looked up at us running towards them and he pulled something out of his pocket and flicked it open. Something glinted in the moonlight and I pushed myself harder, knowing it was a weapon.

He brought it down on Bella's back and I growled in anger. How dare he hurt her! It looked like a few words were exchanged between Bella and the man and then the man was off.

We reached Bella. She was panting. Her hair was messed up terribly. Her back was bleeding and she looked completely shaken. She tried to stand up, but winced when she put pressure on her left arm.

"Oh, God," Jasper said.

"What the hell happened?" Rose demanded.

"I don't know," Bella answered shaken, almost inaudibly, and then passed out.

"Shit," I murmured.

I knelt down beside her and felt her head. There weren't any bumps, so it couldn't be a concussion. I took a look at Bella's back. The cut wasn't deep enough to cause real damage, but it was deep enough to leave a scar. So, she hadn't fainted from blood loss.

Nonetheless, I ripped off part of my shirt and dabbed it on her cut, soaking up the blood. Alice had already whipped out her cell phone and called Carlisle. She was currently talking a mile a minute, telling Carlisle the extent of what we knew.

I tried gently waking Bella up, but it didn't work. Her eyes stayed shut. And there was no doubt about it. Alice, Jazz, Em, Rose, Steve, and I were all panicking.

"She isn't waking up," I said urgently.

"Carlisle," Alice said into the receiver, "She isn't waking up. What's wrong with her?"

"It's not loss of blood and it's not a concussion," I said.

Alice relayed the information to Carlisle. Then, she put it on speakerphone for everyone to hear.

"It might just be the stress of what just happened," Carlisle explained from the other end, "Just wait for her to come around. If there aren't any bumps, then I highly doubt it's a concussion. The cut on her back, Edward. How deep is it?"

"It's deep enough to scar but not deep enough to have hit any major arteries, veins, or blood vessels," I answered, "I used part of my shirt to dab the blood. It's still bleeding, but not too much, not that it was bleeding profusely before either."

"She should be fine," he said, "But bring her home as soon as you can."

"Getting on it," I said, lifting Bella into my arms bridal-style.

Em, Jazz, Rose, and Alice followed me uneasily. Steve caught up with us a few seconds later.

"Is she going to be all right?" he asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine," Rose said determinedly.

"Just make sure you keep an eye out for the bastard who did this," I growled menacingly.

"Yeah," Emmett intoned, every bit as menacing as I sounded, "And then give us a call. I assure you, Edward and I will speed over here and help you kill this guy."

"Don't forget me," Jasper agreed, "I want to kill this guy too."

"Me too," Alice chirped. It sounded weird coming from her, but she was every bit as angry as everyone else was.

"And I will personally cut off his _other_ head," Rose said, smirking.

"No fair," a weak voice said out of nowhere as I was pulling Bella into Em's jeep with me, "I want to take part in the beating too."

It was Bella. She'd regained consciousness. All eyes flashed to her face and collective relieved sighs filled the air, including my own.

Steve let out a hysterical laugh. Probably because Bella sounded and looked so weak, yet her words were meant to be menacing.

"Shut up," Bella said, "It's not funny. I may be weak now, but if I see that bastard again, he is _dead_. The jackass pulled some of my hair out of its roots _and_ probably sprained my arm or something. _Plus_, I'm going to have another scar."

"Wait," I said, "_Another_ scar? What?"

"That guy gave me a scar, parallel to the one I already had from five years ag-" she cut off suddenly with a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh, no," she murmured breathlessly.

She sighed and said, "We need to go home. Now."

We all piled into the car, except Steve. We told him goodbye and Bella promised to contact him in some form later.

Emmett sped home, breaking almost every single traffic laws there were. We made it to our house at a record of thirty minutes. We rushed Bella in the house. Carlisle and Esme were in the living room, pacing anxiously.

They both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw all of us. Carlisle's eyebrows furrowed, though, when he assessed the sight of Bella.

"Bella," he asked, "Did he try to rape you?"

"No," Bella replied and sat down on a couch, the five of us following suit, "At least, I don't think he was trying to. But, I'm pretty sure I found my stalker."

"Stalker?" Esme asked, eyebrows raised.

Yeah, seriously. What the hell was Bella talking about?

* * *

**BPOV**

I sighed as Esme asked for clarification on the word "stalker" with her eyebrows raised. I guessed I'd have to explain this the whole way through.

"Why don't I start with what happened at the club?" I asked.

"Please, do," Carlisle said.

"After Rose and Alice left, I started dancing with Steve and a few other guys. I was having a good time, just talking to people," I said, "And then I went to go get a drink. I stood off to the side, looking for Rose, Alice, Em, Jazz, and Edward. Then, somebody began stroking the spot on my back where my scar is. I thought it was someone I knew, but then I realized that the person was stroking the exact spot where my scar was. It should have been impossible to see because of the cover up Alice and Rose put on it."

I took a shaky breath as I got to the harder parts of the story.

"He'd said 'Goodbye, Isabella,' before grabbing a handful of my hair in his fist and then dragging me out the open backdoor. My shoe caught on the door. He dragged me down most of the alley by my hair. I tried getting out of his grasp but nothing worked so I screamed. And when that didn't work, I thrashed. He eventually had to throw me against the wall, making my arm hurt like hell. That's when the others found me. But before they reached me, he pulled out a knife, flicked it open, and cut a line into my back that was parallel to my scar. He'd said, 'Think of it as another token to remember me by, like the one I gave you five years ago. I'll see you soon, Isabella'."

"Wait," Rose murmured, "Five years ago. Wasn't that…"

Alice gasped and finished Rosalie's question, "Around the time you got your scar?"

"That's why I wanted to get home so badly," Bella explained, "I wanted to get a good look at the scar on my back to compare it to my newest cut. Because, believe it or not, around this time five years ago, I had the same feeling that I've been having this past week."

"What feeling?" Jasper asked.

"The feeling that I've been being watched," I answered, "About five years ago, around the time of Charlie's death anniversary, I felt that I was being watched. The feeling was so intense that I usually got goose bumps and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end. Now, five years later, it's time for Charlie's death anniversary soon, and the feeling is back."

"Before we assume anything," Carlisle said, "Let me check Bella's arm really quick and then compare the scar and the cut."

Carlisle probed my arm with gentle fingers. He concluded that it was just deep-muscle bruises. Then, he grabbed the rubbing alcohol and some gauze. He began cleaning my cut and I tried not to wince, flinch, or show any other sign of discomfort.

Once he was done, he began cleaning off the cover up. When he was done with that, he gasped.

"There's no doubt about it," Carlisle announced, "They look extremely similar. I can't help but feel that we might have a stalker on our hands."

No. Fucking. Way.

* * *

**Sooo, how was that?**

**Review if you want more!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**I love you all!**

**-Jules  
**


	14. StalkerSayWhaaat?

"You're screwing with us," Emmett said incredulously.

"I don't think Carlisle is," Edward said.

"Unfortunately, I, too, believe he isn't joking," I said.

"But who the hell would want to stalk Bella?" Rose demanded.

"Are you implying that I'm not stalker-worthy?" I asked teasingly.

"Stop playing around," she snapped, "You might be in danger here."

"Well, sorry for trying to lighten up the mood," I complained.

"Bella," Rose warned, "Shut up."

"Sorry for living," I snapped back.

"Bella!" Rose shrieked.

"Rose!" I shrieked back, "Calm the hell down. If I can mellow it out a little and think about this rationally, then you can too."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she looked at me apologetically. I shrugged, letting her know the incident was forgotten.

"Now," I said, "Anyone else feel the need to shout to let go of unwanted tension?"

Everybody was quiet. So, I sighed.

"Well, now, we can actually do something productive. We can either think of suspects or discuss ways of preventing incidents like night. Unless, there are any other suggestions, of course," I stated.

Carlisle was about to say something, when a song filled the air in the room. At the same time, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and goose bumps rose on my flesh. Someone was watching me again.

"_**Hands, like secrets, are the hardest thing to keep from you**_

_**Lines and phrases, like knives, your words can cut me through**_

_**Dismantle me down (repair)**_

_**You dismantle me**_

_**You dismantle me"**_

I stiffened but then snapped out of it, since my ring tone was playing full blast. I dug through my purse to grab it. My eyes widened as the caller ID read "Private Number". No one ever called me from a restricted number.

It was then I realized that my hands were shaking. I steeled myself and brought the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered, forcing my voice not to shake and putting the phone on speakerphone.

"Isabella," a deep, male voice said into the phone.

"What do you want?" I growled into the phone, "Haven't terrorized me enough tonight?"

"Silly girl," the man from earlier that night said, "I was just warning you. You see, I even know that you put me on speakerphone. I'm watching you."

And that last sentence was said so teasingly, with an undertone that was obviously malice and warning that I snapped.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled into the receiver, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

"I don't want anything from you," the stranger said, "I just want you."

"WHY?" I shrieked, "WHY ME?!"

"You'll get your answer soon enough," he said and then there was a click.

He'd hung up. What the hell had he meant by that? I was so confused. Not to mention, I was scared shitless. My hands were shaking so hard that I dropped my phone.

Everyone was watching me warily. They'd heard the whole conversation. I kept waiting for the feeling of being watch to go away, but it never did. Then, two minutes later, a crash from the kitchen.

I immediately stood up and ran to the kitchen. What I saw on the floor, though, was just too much for me to handle. So, for the second time that night, I let the darkness of unconsciousness wash over me.

**EPOV**

The phone call was intense, but what Bella's stalker threw through our window as a little present was even more intense. I caught Bella as she fell to the floor, unconscious, and fought the urge to puke as I stared at the thing on the floor.

"Oh, God," Carlisle whispered from behind me, "Please tell me that isn't… Is that really… Oh, God. Oh, God. That can't be… a real heart, can it?"

And that's what was on the floor. A heart covered in blood with a knife through it, pinning a piece of paper to it. And not the kind of heart that represented love. Oh, no, it was a human heart. At least, it looked like a human heart.

Even Carlisle was completely speechless, and he was a doctor, for God's sakes. Carlisle put on his "doctor face" as I called it and pushed past Bella and me to get a closer look at the heart.

He hesitantly poked the heart with his index finger, where the paper wrapped around the heart. He instantly relaxed.

"It's plastic," he said, "But it looked incredibly real."

He touched the blood and then held it up to his nose.

"The blood might be real, though," Carlisle said grimly, "I mean, it's still kind of warm."

Bella stirred in my arms. She opened her eyes but she looked incredibly tired.

"That's not good," she murmured, "But what does the paper say?"

Carlisle gingerly unwrapped the note and scanned over it quickly.

"It's the answer to the question you asked on the phone," Carlisle told Bella, "It says 'Because you're the one that got away.'"

Bella just sighed and her eyes slid closed once more. Carlisle sighed, too.

"Lay her on the couch and let her sleep," he said.

I did as he said. Of course, everyone questioned what had happened, so I told them a quick summary of what happened in the kitchen. They all seemed disgusted. Jazz, Alice, Em and Rose seemed to be particularly shaken.

"Can you imagine how Bella is feeling right now?" Alice whispered.

"Not at all," Rose answered.

"I'm going to murder that bastard," Emmett vowed.

"I'll help," Jasper said through clenched teeth.

"I think we should focus on keeping Bella safe and worry-free," I suggested.

"Good luck with that," Alice said, "Knowing her, she'll be worrying about all of us before she worries about herself."

"How is it that stuff like this only happens to Bella?" Jasper asked rhetorically.

"Something always finds its way to kick Bella in the ass," Rose whispered, "I mean, God, why her? Why is it always her? She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve any of the shit she's been through, despite what she thinks. It's so unfair."

"Life's a bitch," I hissed, angry at the fucking world.

Because, really, Rose was right. Bella didn't deserve any of this. It was crazy. It was like the world was intentionally out to get her.

Just then, Bella stirred in her sleep from spot on the couch. Everyone turned to look at her. Her eyes stayed closed but a crease between her eyebrows appeared. I wanted to ease it away, but didn't do anything.

"No," she mumbled in her sleep, "Please. Not them."

I'm sure everyone's thoughts were along the lines of "Huh?"

"Don't hurt the girls!" she cried out suddenly.

She suddenly thrashed in her sleep.

"Alice! Rose! No!" she shrieked.

Alice and Rose clasped hands as we all stared at Bella as she had her nightmare. No one could move. No one could say anything. Bella started whimpering in her sleep.

"I'm sorry," Bella murmured, "My sisters… No! Not Em! Not Jazz! Please, no!"

Jazz and Emmett looked ready to cry and punch something at the same time. Bella just thrashed on the couch again.

"Please, don't hurt them anymore," she begged in her sleep, "Kill me, I don't care."

We all gasped at that, finally understanding what her nightmare was about. She was dreaming about her killer, and he was hurting everyone else but Bella.

"No," she whispered brokenly, "Not Edward. Please. I'll do anything."

"No!" she yelled, "I'm sorry."

And that's when I cracked. The lead that had held my feet to the ground was no longer there.

I practically sprinted to Bella's side and started stroking her forehead, telling her it was going to be all right, and stroking her hair. She calmed down a little bit, and I used my forefinger to smooth out the crease between her eyebrows.

"You're alright, Bella," I said into her ear, "We're all going to be okay. It's going to be fine."

I saw Bella inhale and then relax a little bit when she exhaled. She murmured incoherently some more but then the crease between her eyebrows disappeared. I studied her unburdened face.

She was so much more beautiful when she was relaxed. Her face was relaxed. Her mouth was open, forming a small "O". I stroked her forehead a few more times before placing a kiss on it, without thinking.

I tried to move away from her, but she grabbed my hand and held it to her chest. And for once, I didn't think that my arm was right where her chest was. Instead, my heart swelled with sweet emotion.

I moved closer to her and let her hug my arm to her chest.

"You're going to be all right," I whispered to her.

If only I could know that for sure…

* * *

**How was that?**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**THANKS FOR READING!**

**I LOVE YOU ALL!!!**

**-Jules  
**


	15. AN

**Okay, guys.**

**Sorry about the wait for my story chapters but I've been incredibly busy lately.**

**I know that's a crappy excuse but I really am sorry.**

**Anyways, the good news is that the next chapter will be up by, at most, tomorrow.**

**I'm working really hard to get the new chapters up.**

**Once again, I'm really sorry about the wait.**

**Please don't be mad at me and please don't lose your faith in me :]**

**I promise to get the chapters up as soon as i can.**

**-Jules  
**


	16. IReallyShouldHaveKnown

After Carlisle had told me what the note said, I had promptly passed out, because I was hella tired and, well, I couldn't handle all the stress.

So, I went out like a light. But naturally, after something straining happens, I had a nightmare when I slept.

It was dark in my dream. I couldn't tell where we were, but it was dark and my friends surrounded me. Emmett, Jazz, Rose, Alice, and Edward all looked terrified. A feeling of dread bloomed in my stomach.

_I heard maniacal laughter coming from a far side of the room, if it was a room. I couldn't tell because it was so dark. Then, a figure appeared in front of us as bright light suddenly illuminated the room._

_The figure was the one I recognized from the club earlier. It showed the lower half of his but it hid the top half. On his mouth was a pronounced smirk and his eyes danced with amusement. What a frickin' sadist. _

_Then, he slowly pulled out, of all things, a meat cleaver. He was going to kill us with a god damn meat cleaver. I initially thought my stalker was going to kill me first, but, no, that would have been way too easy._

_He turned to Alice and Rose huddling together. His smirk grew._

"_No! Please!" I shouted, "Not them!"_

_He took a step towards them and I freaked out._

"_Don't hurt the girls!" I yelled._

_Once he was right in front of them, he raised the meat cleaved above his head and began bringing it down on both Alice and Rosalie. I whimpered as I saw all that blood._

"_I'm sorry, my sisters…" I sobbed when he was done._

_Rose and Alice were left there, eyes open but blind and staring at the dark ceiling. Blood covered their pale faces and I just wanted to scream._

_But then the stalker turned towards Emmett and Jasper and I started hyperventilating. _

"_No!" I begged, "Not Em! Not Jazz! Please, no!"_

_The stalker ignored me and did to Em and Jazz what they did to Alice and Rose. I sobbed as I stared at Emmett's and Jasper's lifeless faces._

"_Please, don't hurt them anymore," I begged in her sleep, "Kill me, I don't care."_

_He didn't listen to me. He only moved on to Edward, and for some sick reason, my heart broke even more for him. _

"_No," I whispered, "Not Edward. I'll do anything."_

_I couldn't watch but I heard Edward's strangled pleas as they suddenly cut off._

"_No!" I yelled, "I'm sorry."_

_I thought the stalker was going to move towards me next but when I opened my eyes he wasn't there. I looked all around for him and saw that he and my best friends' bodies were gone too._

_Then, the scenery changed and my best friends surrounded me again, but they were alive this time. I relaxed and dreamt peacefully from then on._

I woke up, holding something to my chest. I looked down and saw that it was an arm. I jumped slightly and then followed the arm to its owner. My eyes fell on Edward's sleeping face. His body was pressed against the front of the couch and his face was close to mine.

I looked around and saw that Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jazz had fallen asleep in the living room too. I sighed and then looked back at Edward's face. He looked so peaceful, so non-player-like. He looked totally unlike what he usually looks like.

I sighed, remembered my nightmare, and then sighed again. I let go of Edward's limb and carefully stepped over my friend's sleeping bodies and entered the kitchen. I saw that Esme and Carlisle were already in the kitchen.

Carlisle was reading the newspaper at the table while Esme moved quietly around the kitchen, getting ready to cook. I smiled tiredly at them as I entered the kitchen. Esme wordlessly handed me a cup of coffee and I thanked her.

Halfway through my cup, we heard a commotion in the living room.

"Where's Bella?" Emmett shouted.

"Umm," I answered, "In the _kitchen_."

"Oh," Emmett said, sounding embarrassed.

I laughed as a thud came from the living room, followed by an "Ow!" from Emmett. I shook my head at them.

The others slowly filed into the room. I gave them all small smiles and continued sipping my coffee. When Esme was done cooking, we all dug in. I was especially hungry tonight. I guess all the stress last night caught up to me.

"So," I asked, breaking the silence, "Whose car are we taking to the dance school?"

All motion at the table stopped, except for when I spooned some of Esme's delicious omelet into my mouth. Everyone was staring at me, wide-eyed.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

"You still want to go to school even though you have a stalker?" Rose asked.

"I'm not going to let him get to me," I said, determination filling my voice, "This game that he's playing, it's so that he can get under my skin. And I'll be damned if I show it's working."

"But, the risks are-" Carlisle said.

"I know about the risks," I said, "And I'm willing to take them. I don't want this to ruin my life. If it really is the guy from five years ago, then he should leave me alone in a week or so."

"If you're sure…" Esme said.

"But Emmett, Edward, or I have to be with you at all times," Jasper said.

"Yeah," Emmett said, "That way if he tries to get you again, we can kick his ass."

"Fine," I said.

"And you phone always has to be on," Alice added.

"And we need to know where you are at all times," Rose said.

I rolled my eyes but said, "Fine, but don't forget that this endangers you all, too."

"Yeah," Esme said, "Maybe you guys should et up a buddy system."

"Fine," Rose said, "Emmett and I, Alice and Jasper, and Edward and Bella."

"Fine," we all said.

"You guys can't go anywhere without the other," Carlisle warned.

"But what about showers and bathroom breaks and stuff?" Emmett asked.

"Well," Carlisle said, "Do you think this guy would be so low as to attack us in the bathroom?"

It was quiet for a few moments.

"Ugh," I said, finally breaking the silence, "This guy is getting to us! He's making us all paranoid… This sucks."

"It does suck, Bella," Carlisle said gently, "But we can't just ignore the problem. He tried kidnapping you yesterday. We need to take precautions."

I sighed.

"I think the only time he'd stoop down to grabbing one of us from the bathrooms is when he gets desperate," I said.

"Why do you think that?" Alice asked.

"Because if he truly was the man who killed my father and was the same man who cut my back and tried to kidnap me last night, then he likes to do things right under people's noses. He likes a challenge. At my house all those years ago when he killed Charlie, I was upstairs the whole time and I think he knew that since he said that I was the one who got awy. When he cut my back five years ago, my mom and Phil had been in the house at the same time. At the club, there were hundreds of people around. It's seems he likes the idea that at any given moment, he can get caught," I explained.

"So, I think he's going to stick with the thrill of almost getting caught until he starts getting desperate, if ever he does," I concluded.

"It's plausible," Carlisle said, "But what if you're wong?"

"God dammit!" I yelled and slapped my palm on the table, "He should not be ruling our lives like this!"

I brought my knees to my chest and rocked back and forth a few times.

"It's so frustrating," I complained, "Dammit."

"Bella," Jazz said gently, "You need to calm down. This is hard, yes, but we're trying to work it out."

"What's there to work out?" I asked, "I flat out refuse to let him rule my life. He already ruled most of my life already because of my father. If that bastard thinks that he can get away with stealing the rest of my life away from me by making me paranoid, then he's _wrong_."

"We respect your decision," Carlisle said.

"But what about us?" Edward asked, "Isn't this guy after us, too?"

I hesitated and bit my lip. I closed my eyes and thought back to all my encounters with this guy. He'd said nothing about these people, my practical family. All he'd said was that he wanted me.

"I don't think he is," I said slowly, "He's made it pretty clear that it's just me he wants. As long as you guys don't interfere too much, I don't think he'll harbor any ill feelings towards you. It's just me he's got beef with."

"Then tell him you're a vegetarian," Alice said.

"And you're not freaking scared of him," Rose finished, paraphrasing some lines from 3Oh!3's "Don't Trust Me".

We all laughed and then finished breakfast. We didn't mention my stalker anymore. Then, we all got ready for dance school. We decided to take my old truck. Jasper wanted to dive so I handed him my keys and then got onto the bed of my truck.

My truck's cab could only hold four people, so I opted for the bed. The others sent Edward to stay with me. I smiled a little at him and then laughed as he jumped when Jasper gunned the loud engine.

He glared at me playfully before we both started laughing. When we were done laughing, he sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's just…" he said, "Aren't you scared?"

I knew he was referring to my stalker.

"I guess I'm a little," I admitted, "But I'm more worried that he's going to go after you and the Hales."

"You know, Swan," Edward said, "You're not so bad."

"Thanks," I said, "And you aren't either."

We pulled into the dance school parking lot then. I wondered what had brought on Edward's new mood.

Jasper parked the car and I was about to jump out when Edward beat me to it. Once on the ground, he held out his hand to me and I accepted it. He helped me out of my truck's cab and I smiled my thanks to him.

Alice, Rose, and I went to our lessons. Edward and I were scheduled to practice our duet dance for the showcase right after our hip-hop lessons.

All throughout lessons, I couldn't help but wonder if Edward actually changed. I mean, he was actually being nice to me. Through both of my lessons, I compared the old Edward with the new Edward. There was a considerable difference.

After hip-hop class, I said goodbye to Alice and Rose and walked around until it was time for Edward's and my dance practice. I'd just decided that Edward really had changed, when I walked into the room we were supposed to practice in and saw him making out with some girl in my ballet class.

I couldn't tell you that I was shocked, but then again, I also couldn't tell you why it hurt me so much to watch him prove that he hadn't changed, with this girl.

* * *

**So, how was it?**

**I'm sorry for the wait, but please tell me if you liked it or not!**

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**Thank you for reading this chapter, guys!**

**I love you!**

**Please keep checking for my updates!**

**-Jules  
**


	17. DisappointmentNeverGetsBetter

**EPOV**

After the car ride to the dance school, I couldn't help but think that I changed a little. I mean, I was just hanging around the school, waiting for hip-hop class to start, when three girls threw themselves at me. I hadn't responded like I usually would.

I pushed them away, and they huffed but left me alone. I was left with my thoughts, and they all centered around one thing: Bella. She was frustrating and stubborn, but she was beautiful, smart, and caring, even though she didn't know it.

I was trying to figure her out, but I couldn't. She was so unlike other girls. It truly was a mystery. The way she laughed, talked, and smiled. All of her was extremely captivating.

And that's when I realized. I like Bella Swan. I actually _like_ Bella Swan. I was confused for a few minutes. When the hell had that happened?

But, that couldn't be right. I couldn't really like Bella. We had been annoyed just by each other's presence ever since we'd moved here. It didn't make sense. I wondered if there was a way to really make sure.

I pondered ways I could possibly test the theory about my feelings, and came to two options by the end of the hip-hop lesson. The first was to kiss Bella, and that sure as hell wasn't happening. The second was to kiss the hottest girl at the school, that I hadn't made out with yet, and see what happens.

The second seemed like an obvious choice to me so, as I made my way towards the room Bella and I were supposed to practice in, I searched for a hot girl. I found one just outside of Bella's and my practice room.

Her name was Nicole. I smiled at her, flirted a little a bit, and then we were inside the room, making out. But strangely, I felt guilty, like I was betraying somebody. And all I could think about was Bella.

I continued making out with Nicole, checking to see if anything changed, and nothing did. I still felt guilty and I still thought about Bella. At one point, I thought I hard footsteps in the room but I must have imagined it or something, because when I finally pulled back, nothing was there.

Nicole tried to kiss me again, but I made a lame excuse and she left with a huff. I looked at the time and saw that Bella was late. Which was weird because she was never late. Ever. In fact, she usually beat me to the practice room.

I exited the room and began checking other rooms for her. I finally found her in one of the rooms way, way down the hall. She was dancing to "I Caught Myself" by Paramore.

Her movements were so angry and erratic. Halfway through the song, her movements became more flowing, but they still held anger.

Who was she angry at? Why was she angry in the first place?

When she was done dancing, I stepped into the room and she looked blankly at me.

"You done sucking some girl's face off?" she asked dryly and I was taken aback by her tone and at the fact that she'd seen me.

"Is that what you're angry about?" I asked, not missing a chance to try to figure out her feelings.

"I wasn't angry," she denied.

"Sure you weren't," I said, "So, if you weren't mad, tell me, were you jealous?"

"I wasn't jealous, either," she said through gritted teeth.

"Admit it," I said, seeing through her lies, "You were angry that I was kissing another girl."

"You want the truth?" she asked me.

"Yes," I answered, hoping she'd tell me she liked me like I liked her.

"I'd thought you changed," she said, closing the distance between our faces, "But I was _wrong_."

She sighed, grabbed her bag and walked towards the door. I was frozen.

"I was angry because I actually really, really believed you'd changed," she continued, "But I just got disappointed. As per usual."

And then she left. She just walked right out of the room. I was left there, pondering what she'd said. After a few minutes of letting her words process in my head, the guilt set in. My knees gave out so I sat down on the floor and put my head in my hands.

I don't know how long I stayed in that position, but I know that it was a long time. Bella's words kept replaying and replaying themselves in my head, like a record player that was stuck.

For the first time in my life, I actually felt like a complete and total ass. With every replay of Bella's words, the moments when I'd just used girls to forget everything in my life replayed with them. It was horrible.

_I_ was horrible.

I believe it was a while until people found me. By people, I mean namely Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. They were angry, of course they were angry. They were silent, but their expressions were similar: jaws clenched, eyes flashing, nostrils flaring.

"Where's Bella?" I asked, my voice flat.

"We don't have a clue," Alice said angrily, "Why don't _you_ tell _us_?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We can't find her!" Rose yelled at me, "No note, no texts or phone calls, and her car is still in the parking lot. What the hell did you do to her?"

"I disappointed her," I whispered into the angry silence.

"She's not the only one you disappointed today," Emmett said quietly.

"As much as I'd love to bash Edward the rest of the night," Jasper said, "We really need to find Bella."

I immediately jumped up from the floor.

"Have you checked the whole building already?" I asked.

"No shit, Sherlock," Rose snapped.

"Where else would she go?" I asked.

It was quiet as we all thought for a while.

"The park?" Alice suggested and ran out of the room.

The rest of us looked at each other before running out after her. We ran out of the building like hounds from hell were at our heels. Alice practically threw herself into Bella's truck. The rest of us followed her example.

Jasper sped towards the local park. The five of us circled the park multiple times, even going so far as to look down slides and tunnels and such. I'm sure we looked insane but none of us could care. We were too worried. But still we didn't find her.

"What about her old house?" Emmett suggested.

"Let's go," Rosalie said briskly.

Jasper drove as fast as he could towards Bella's old house. No one had moved in yet and Bella hadn't thought to remove the key from under the mat so we managed to get into the house.

We searched the backyard, all the rooms and bathrooms, but still no Bella. I was so freaking close to having a panic attack. It wasn't even funny. We drove back to the houses as a last resort but Bella was nowhere.

Alice and Rose started crying when we found that she wasn't at any of our houses. My lungs were burning and my muscles were yelling heavy obscenities at me. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I tried not to punch anything but settles for the cushioned couch.

"Where the hell could she have gone?!" I yelled due to my frustration.

"She wouldn't have gone to the school," Emmett said.

"But she's not anywhere else," Alice hiccupped.

There was a pregnant silence as we all thought. Suddenly, Rose screamed.

"The _cemetery!_" she shouted, "Fuck, how couldn't we have seen it before?"

"Come on!" Jasper barked and we all ran back to the car, throwing ourselves into it.

Jasper raced to the cemetery, pushing Bella's ancient truck to its limits. We made it to the cemetery in record time, also just before Bella's truck died. We all ran into the graveyard, searching for Bella.

We first ran to Renee's and Phil's graves. We didn't find her there, so Rose and Jasper began running towards Charlie's grave. We could see a figure lying on top of the grave. I sped up, my heart trying to burst out of my rib cage and flop towards the figure.

"Please," I whispered, "Please, please, _please_ no."

I reached Bella first, and there was no denying that this was Bella. She was wearing the same clothes she'd been in when I last saw her at the dance studio. She looked so still, and I was so afraid to touch her. Her hair covered her face, and her clothes looked kind of messy.

A sob escaped my throat. I gently pressed two fingers to Bella's pulse point and almost sobbed twice more when I felt it throb. She was alive. I ran my hands along her body, trying to find if she was injured anywhere. I didn't feel anything on her body but when I moved to her head, I felt a bump forming.

I cursed. If Bella had a concussion and fell asleep, she could slip into a coma and… Oh, shit. I immediately whipped out my phone and called 911. I told them that I thought Bella got hit on the head and the operator said an ambulance was on the way, but not to move her because her neck might be hurt.

The few minutes it took for the ambulance to get to the cemetery were the longest moments of my life. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and I were all huddled together, watching the subtle rise and fall of Bella's chest.

And all I could think was, _Please don't let her slip into a coma. Please let her be okay. Please. She can't die. She just can't_. I'm sure the others were thinking along the same lines. But I was _angry_.

Stuff like this shouldn't happen at all, much less to a girl like Bella who has suffered so much shit already. I was shaking from all of today's events. I literally started crying when the paramedics finally arrived and I wasn't ashamed of it.

The paramedics lifted Bella onto a stretcher, putting her into a neck brace and rushing to the ambulance. As she was hurried away, I caught a glimpse of her face and she looked so peaceful and perfect. I started crying harder.

As I moved to follow her, something caught my eye. I looked back to Charlie's grave and found a bouquet of black roses. I walked up to it and picked it up. I noticed that there were 11 real roses, dipped in black ink and one fake black rose with fake red drops of dew.

I also saw that there was a note attached. I picked it and opened it carefully. I read it with wide eyes.

_**Dear Isabella,**_

_**I will hate you and your family until the last rose dies, so look forward to my looming presence. I hope I didn't hit you too hard. But, you almost saw me and I couldn't have risked that. All in due time, my sweet Isabella. I'm looking forward to watching you closer.**_

_**Love Your One And Only**_

_**P.S. Edward, I know you're reading this. And Isabella is **_**mine.**_** So back off. **_

_**P.P.S. Oh, and Edward, you nosy brat, watch out because I'm coming for you too.**_

I dropped the letter and the roses. They fell to the grass silently, as silent as my thoughts. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I didn't think.

My head was reeling and I think I almost crapped my pants. This was too surreal. But this was our reality. I just couldn't find it in me to accept it.

* * *

**So, what do you think?**

**Sorry that it took way too long.**

**I have no excuses so you can be mad at me all you want. :[**

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**A major thanks to SoaneLucy13 for reviewing every single chapter and more thanks to all of my other lovely faithful reviewers.**

**Your support really boosts my self-steem when it comes to my writing.**

**Thank you for reading and please look forward to the next chapter.**

**I love you all!  
**

**-Jules  
**


	18. NeverStoodAChance

**I know, I know!**

**You hate me for taking so long!**

**I'm sorry, but here's the chapter and I have a very important AN at the end!**

**I BEG YOU TO READ IT, PLEASE!**

**It explains why I haven't been updating!  
**

* * *

**EPOV**

I couldn't bring myself to look away from the running ink on the note that was now lying in the mud. I watched as the words blurred before my very eyes. I couldn't tell if that was the rain, the ink running, or the tears in my eyes.

"Edward," a voice called, pulling my attention away from the horrifying note to the problem at hand.

I looked up to see Emmett holding his hand to me. I grabbed it and let him help me up after picking the note up and stuffing it in my pocket. He put his arm around my shoulders and helped lead me to the car.

"She's going to be okay, little brother," Emmett said and I nodded absently.

What if Bella wasn't going to be okay? What if she never woke up? Would her stalker never stop even then? Would the stalker switch victims?

Questions bounced around in my head like the little white balls in the professional ping-pong matches. I was way too happy to be seated back in Bella's decrepit truck. It let me focus more on what was going on in my brain than what I was physically doing.

Bella. All of my thoughts centered on Bella, as if she were the sun and all of my thoughts were the planets. Would she be okay? Would she forgive me? Would she be scared or angry? Would she ever wake up? Will I ever be able to tell her that I like her? Will she accept my feelings much less reciprocate them?

Screw my feelings right now. What the hell is wrong with you, Cullen? She's unconscious, in an ambulance on her way to the hospital with a psycho after her as well as your family and you only care about your feelings?

I was literally jolted out of my thoughts when Jasper screeched abruptly into a parking space at the local hospital. Everyone quickly hurled themselves out of the truck, almost locking me inside it. We all rushed into the emergency waiting room.

The nurse at the counter looked stressed, the bags underneath her eyes dark purple. I had no doubt that she'd gone to hell and back countless times in the last few hours. We asked her when we'd be able to visit Bella and she told us we'd have to wait until her doctor came to tell us we could visit her.

So for the next tenuous few hours, my family waited in the pristine waiting room. We all fidgeted, the girls cried, and Jazz and Em just looked broken. We were all so freaked out. It seemed like forever had passed a dozen times before the doctor finally came out and announced it was okay for us to visit Bella.

He told us that she was awake. She'd had a severe panic attack and had come very close to catching pneumonia. He informed us that if she had another big panic attack like the one that made her pass out, we might have to get some prescription drugs for her.

After the doctor briefed us on Bella's condition, the five of us wearily walked into Bella's room where she was awake and sitting up, but was attached to multiple machines. She was looking out the open window and didn't look away from it even as we entered the room.

"Hey, Bella," Alice said after a long, awkward moment of silence.

"Hi," Bella replied but didn't move her gaze from the window.

"How are you feeling?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, we were really worried about you," Rose said.

"You have no idea how painful it was in the waiting room," Jasper added.

"I don't need you to worry about me," Bella said, stony-faced.

Everyone was shocked into silence.

"What did you say?" I asked, not compreheding.

She finally looked at all of us, and her expression made us flinch. Her face was completely smooth and her eyes were hard.

"I don't need any of you," Bella said, "In fact, I've decided that I'm going to leave Phoenix. You're all worthless to me."

We all flinched at her harsh words, though the way she said them was robotic.

"You cant be serious," Emmett choked out.

"Of course I am," Bella said, "I don't need you and I certainly don't have an obligation to you."

Everyone was shocked into silence. This was so not Bella. This was… this was something else entirely. My thoughts raced, trying to figure out what was wrong with Bella. I studied her face, looked into her eyes.

She had yet to make eye contact with me, but as she felt my gaze on her, she turned to look at me. Our eyes met and hers widened. I saw a flash of the emotion she had buried so deeply and I instantly knew what she was doing.

"You're trying to push us away," I accused of her.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth, Edward," she lied, and I could see through her completely now, "And that's saying something."

"It's not stupid," I retorted, "I'm _right_. I can see it in your eyes. He said something to you, didn't he? About getting to us? Maybe that's why you all of a sudden feel the need to make sure we're as far away from you as you can get us."

"He didn't say anything about you guys," Bella said flatly, "I made this decision on my own. I'm tired of you guys. These last few weeks have made me realize that you guys are clingy and worry too much. I don't need you guys."

"You're lying," Rose said and then smiled, "God, your acting skills have improved but you forget that Jazz and I have known you for forever."

"Rose is right," Jasper said, "You're moving your right leg underneath your blanket. You only do that when you're lying."

"How the fuck did you know that?" Bella suddenly asked, her jaw dropped and staring at the twins like they were insane.

Her façade had dropped and just like that, the tension in the room was gone.

"I told you we've known you for forever," Rose said matter-of-factly, "You move your left leg when you're nervous about anything else."

"I guess I can't push you guys away then," Bella said softly.

"Nope," Emmett and Alice answered at the same time.

"You never stood a chance," I said and smiled crookedly at her.

"Bella," Jasper said, "You have to start relying on us more. You can't keep taking this guy lightly, as you are now."

"You're right," she sighed, "I didn't think he'd try to contact me again."

"Did he try to kidnap you again?" Rosalie asked, anger coloring her tone.

"No," Bella said, "I don't even remember that much. I was just visiting my mom's grave and then I was clonked on the back of the head before I realized what was happening. Then, I was waking up in here."

"So, he didn't say anything to you? Just made you pass out and then left a note?" Emmett asked.

"He left a note?" Bella asked us all in confusion.

Fuck. I forgot about that. I sighed and dug the note out of my pocket and gave it to her. She read it over and then her heart rate monitor went crazy.

She began ripping the note with vehemence. Once she was done, she looked at us and smiled.

"You have no idea how good that felt," she said sincerely, "I'm so done with this guy! He has pissed me off for the last time. The next time I see him… he's going down."

"And we'll help you," Emmett added, "He's messed with the wrong family."

"But for now," I said calmly, "Let's just focus on Bella getting better and the dance showcase that's coming up."

"You know what, Edward," Alice said, "That's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

"I agree," Bella said and smiled at me, making my heart speed up as she did.

_Oh, yeah_. I had the feeling that the next few weeks were going to be the best ever.

* * *

**That was the chapter, guys!**

**We're stepping away from the suspense and drama for a bit and getting back to the dancing and humor!  
**

**Thank you for reading and please continue reading this!**

**I wrote this chapter in the past week in my spare time and I apologize because it sucks so bad!**

**But I will explain everything below:**

**Dear readers,**

**I really am terribly sorry that I haven't updated in the last few months. **

**At first, it was because I was adjusting to high school life and my new busy schedule with archery practice for upcoming competitions, choir practice for upcoming recitals and competitions, dance lessons, and other choir practices for Sunday masses as well as keeping up with my school work. Also, my family isn't very supportive of my writing and they don't like that I read fanfiction either, so they try to keep me busy to keep me away from the computer.  
**

**Then, I got the swine flu and was so tired and delirious that I couldn't think straight, much less type for any of my stories.**

**After that, I had to deal with some losses in my family. Two of my cousins died along with two of their friends in a drunk car crash and for the longest time, I was depressed.**

**Because I was depressed, I took a break from writing to get me in a place where I could be me again so that I actually could write and, well, live.  
**

**Recently, I've read over all of my reviews for all of my fics and I've found the inspiration to start writing again. Though my updates will be irregular and probably far apart, I ask you to bear with me and stick with me.**

**I am so, so, so, so, so very sorry for leaving you all hanging and I know that I can never express to you how sorry I am but also how grateful I am for your reading my fics and for your praise. I hope that you all keep reading and can forgive me for how sucky I've been with my updates. **

**I love you all, my dear readers and I understand if you stop reading my fics. I know they're not that good anyway, but I just wanted to thank you for sticking with me this far. **

**Love, Jules**

**PS. In case I didn't make it clear in my AN, I _am_ back. And I _am_ writing again:]**


	19. BruisesFromTheChange

**Sorry for such a short chapter!**

**But I wrote until the end and then I came up with nothing else...**

**If you have any ideas, please send them to me in a PM or in a review!**

**Also, let me know what you're thinking, mmkay?**

**Thank you so much!  
**

**

* * *

BPOV**

We were back at the dance school again. Edward and I were trying to finish our paired dance within our group performance. I quickly noticed Edward was a great partner. He listened, contributed, and hadn't even tried to make a move on me once. I also took note of how well we worked together, which greatly surprised both of us, I'm sure."

For our dance together, we had decided to dance to the song "Safe Haven" by a band called 32 Leaves.

The dance was going to be a story line based on our interpretation of the lyrics to the song. Basically, a guy is struggling and begging to make his girlfriend stay with him.

We had just decided on a dance that we were going to stick to and had practiced it in sections. This was going to be our first time dancing it all the way through. We had set up a video camera to tape it so we could review and then improve our dance.

"Alright, Edward," I said and pushed the button on the camera, "Let's do this."

We positioned ourselves in front of the camera and smiled tentatively at each other. Ever since I was in the hospital, he'd been incredibly nice and funny and charming… I mentally shook myself and focused on the dance.

We started off in a lover's embrace. My hands were on Edward's chest and he was holding me tightly to him, his chin resting on the top of my head. The clip of music we were dancing to began and we started dancing.

There's something strange here

**Edward's head snapped up and he looked around slowly**

I'm running out of time

**I looked around frantically and began to walk away from him**

So help me breathe again

**Edward caught my hand and twirled me into him**

Before I push my love aside

**He pushed me out and I spun away on the tips of my toes**

Some die awaiting

**I "tripped" and fell with my arms bracing me on the floor**

I'm not your oversight

**Edward's eyes snapped to me and he moved to help me but I stood up and ran into his arms**

Soon you'll awaken

**He lifted me by my hips and I leaned back on him, doing a in a split in the air**

To find I vanished in the night

**He let me down and tried to grab my hand when I danced away but couldn't catch me**

So before you run forever

**He slid on his knees to me**

Save that shame...

**He took my hand in his and gently kissed my knuckles**

Stay don't leave me alone

**I gently took his head in my hands and kissed his forehead**

You were all I'd ever known

**I tried to get away but he caught me and lifted my again, this time we faced each other and he held me under my butt and he turned slowly in a circle**

Won't you stay?

**He let me down and knelt on one knee. I kicked my right leg all the way up behind me quickly, my forehead close to the ground and then slowly brought my leg up, the back of my knee landing on his shoulder.**

Don't leave me alone

**He stood up, forcing me on the tips of my toes and leaned forward, so I bent backwards as he dipped me in a swing. He unhooked my foot from his shoulder so I stood on both of my tiptoes and wrapped his arms around my waist.**

You were all I'd ever known

**We faced the audience with me holding him by his neck and him holding me by the waist, our faces towards each other and about to kiss when I shook my head and untangled myself from his arms. Edward ended reaching out for my hand, but not touching it and facing my back, which was towards him, my hand lifted inches away from his and my head turned away from the audience. **

We stopped, breathing hard. I smiled and turned to Edward. He was staring at me. When our eyes met, neither of us could look away for a few minutes. I was the first to break contact.

I looked over at the camcorder and motioned for us to go watch the tape. It was awkwardly silent as I detached the camcorder from the tripod. But when we began reviewing the tape, the silence was broken as Edward and I said our opinions out loud.

We pointed our own mistakes as well as each other's. And though this wasn't the first time I'd truly seen Edward's passion for dancing, seeing this side of him… It made me feel weird.

I didn't focus on the new feeling though. Once we finished reviewing the video, we started going through all of the moves one by one, perfecting them.

Edward had suggested that I kind of drag the tops of my feet along the floor as I'm first walking away, as if I was hesitant in my decision to leave him. I tried doing so and tripped in the process. Edward and I were both silent for a moment before we both began laughing hysterically.

He helped me up and I was still laughing so hard that I had to lean into his chest to keep from falling down. Edward stiffened for a moment before relaxing, still laughing. Once we calmed down, Edward helped me do it right.

Once I was properly dragging my feet, we changed the way Edward spun me into him because it looked awkward the first way. The original spin was Edward twirling me in a circle before putting his arm around my waist and then pulling me into him.

After many failed attempts at spinning, most ending with either one of us or even both of us on the floor and arms bent in painful directions, a break to stop the room from spinning and much more laughter, we'd decided that he'd grab both of my hands and hold my left while he spun me with his right so that he ended with both of his hands on both of my hips and my with my arms crossed over my torso, holding Edward's hands.

"Alright," I said, checking the time and seeing that we had a few more minutes before we would leave, "We'll pick it back up tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Edward said, smiling at me, "We will."

"Good work today," I complimented him with a bright smile, "I had fun."

"You and me both," Edward replied.

And surprisingly but without a doubt, we really did.

**EPOV**

_Oh, man,_ I thought as Bella and I walked out to the parking lot to wait for the others, _I'm in trouble_. Bella had been amazing during dance practice. We'd worked on the moves yesterday and the day before, and we'd finally put it all together today.

If I may say so, we were amazing. Watching the video, I was mesmerized by Bella. She looked so at peace but emotional at the same time while she danced. I couldn't take my eyes off her. After we danced the whole routine out first, we'd perfected two moves.

Lots of falling was involved, and I knew we both would have bruises tomorrow, but it was worth it. I'd never heard Bella laugh so much in my life and I don't remember the last time _I'd_ laughed that hard, when I was sober.

I'd witnessed a lot of changes in Bella over the past few days. A few days have passes since the hospital, and her stalker had left her alone. Everyone was visibly more at ease, including me.

I'm also proud to say that I haven't reverted to my player ways. It didn't appeal to me anymore. In fact, thinking about how I used to act caused shudders to break out along my spine and thoughts of self deprecation to float through my head.

And to be honest, I kind of had this growing crush on Bella. If I told anyone that, they'd laugh in my face. _Edward Cullen doesn't do crushes_, is what they'd think. That's also what _I_ used to think.

Before I truly got to know Bella.

I looked over at her. We both silently leaned against her monster truck. The others still had not emerged from the school so we could head home.

The sun was just setting in Phoenix, Arizona. Splashes of every color imaginable colored the whole world around us, brightening Bella's eyes and lightening the color of her hair.

She was exquisite in every way imaginable. And she was the only one who had the ability to change me.

_She changed me._

_

* * *

_

**So, there it is.**

**Lots of fluff and more dancing!**

**Hope you like it and don't worry.**

**The stalker didn't just give up and go away.**

**He'll come back... sooner or later.**

**Anyway, thank you so much for reading this chapter!**

**Sorry it took so long, but it's here!**

**I love you all, my dear readers!**

**Please, please, please review!**

**Love, Jules  
**


	20. SomethingBetweenUs

**EPOV**

As I stared at the beauty next to me, her eyes followed the flight of a bird in the sky. She noticed me staring at her from the corner of her eye and turned to meet my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to look away from her so I smiled.

Her breath caught and then she chuckled softly to herself, smiling easily back at me. This time, it was my breath that got caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe, studying the beauty of the wonderful girl beside me.

"Breathe, Edward," she teased me.

"Bella…" I said softly.

She bit her lip and then nodded, "Yes, Edward?"

"Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?" I answered breathlessly.

"You're something else," she said while rolling her eyes.

I shook my head, "I mean it."

"Edward," she breathed and then leaned in to kiss my cheek.

She then rested her head on my shoulder and sighed contentedly. Our friends chose that moment to exit the school. I expected Bella to pull away from me but she surprised me and stayed with her head on my shoulder. This brought an ecstatic smile to my face.

I saw the second the rest of our gang realized the position Bella and I were in. Emmett actually stopped in his tracks to gape at us. Bella and I both laughed at Emmett's reaction, leaning onto each other. We looked up at the rest of our friends and had burst out in another fit of laughter. Alice's eyes were so wide, she looked like she was in pain. Rose looked torn between being pissed and being amused, her face twisting in weird directions as she tried to process what she was seeing. Jasper was smirking.

I rolled my eyes at them.

"They act as if something is actually happening between us," Bella said jokingly.

I froze and then turned to face her, "Are you saying that there's not?"

Bella looked confused as she stared at me, "Edward, no, that's not-"

I shook my head and backed away from her, "No, I get it. I just thought… I didn't realize… I have to go."

Bella called out after me as I ran away, heading for the park a few blocks down from the school and in the opposite direction of the house.

"Edward, come back!" she yelled.

The others reached her and held her back from following me, just as I turned the corner and disappeared from their sight.

I'd thought that there was something between us. I didn't realize that Bella was probably returning my actions without any romantic intentions. I was so stupid. For once in my life, I'd been the one who'd misread a girl's actions.

I reached the park and sat on a park bench, running my hands through my hair. I wasn't used to this. I was so used to girls falling all over me that I immediately assumed when Bella responded to my actions, she returned my feelings.

I probably messed everything up between us now. She was such an amazing girl… and I absolutely, without a doubt had a huge crush on her.

The past two weeks have been incredible. I honestly thought there was something between us, though. We'd spent so much time together these past few weeks, in between dance practice and just getting to know each other at the house. I could have sworn she felt the same way.

"Edward!" I heard and then looked up. Bella ran towards me, breathless and sweaty.

She was still beautiful, rushing towards me with a worried expression plastered on her face. She ran towards me and then bent over, trying to catch her breath.

"Bella," I said and then leaned over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she panted, "Just… not as in shape as I thought I was."

She gave this cute little bark of a laugh and then continued to try to catch her breath.

"You shouldn't have run after me," I told her softly with a chuckle.

"I had to, Edward," she said with a shake of her head.

"No, you made yourself pretty clear in the parking lot," I replied softly.

She looked up at me and her eyes flashed.

"You didn't let me explain, you idiot," she said affectionately. "I meant that nothing was going on at that moment. I… I'm apprehensive to start anything with you because I know how you used to act with girls. I'm still trying to figure out if you think that I'm going to be one of those… hoes for you. I see that you've started to change recently but I'm not sure that I'm able to trust you. If anything is going to happen between us, we'll have to go slowly and you'll have to prove to me that I can trust you."

"Bella," I said and then took her face gently in my hands, "I know that my past with girls kind of makes me an asshole, but I never felt anything for them. You're so different than them. You're… beautiful in ways I can't explain. It's not just the way you look, it's the way you talk, the way you dance, how you act, and the things you say. Everything about you is just so mesmerizing. I know I'll have to work to prove this to you but I really do like you. And I'd like to take you on a date tonight as a start."

She smiled and then nodded, "I'd like that, Edward. And for the record, I really like you too."

"Awwww," we heard a few feet away and we both looked up to see our friends spying on us.

We rolled our eyes and I pulled Bella to my side. Alice ran up to us and grabbed our hands, pulling us towards the parking lot.

"Come on, we have to hurry home so I can get you two ready for your date tonight!" she squealed.

The others followed behind us, chuckling at Alice's antics. I really hoped our date tonight went well. I knew that something amazing could develop between us, as long as I didn't screw it up.


	21. OurVeryFirstDate

**I suggest listening to First Date by Blink-182 while reading this.**

**Enjoy ;)**

* * *

**BPOV**

We held hands in the car and he was rubbing circles into my skin with his thumb. It made me deliriously happy. He also kept staring at me. At first I was flattered, but it started to make me feel really self-conscious. I finally turned to him, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Edward!" I admonished, "Stop staring at me. You're creeping me out."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly and turned to look out of the window.

I caught the tips of his ears turning red and I gasped.

"Are you blushing?"

"No!" His voice sounded a little too defensive.

I laughed and he melted a little bit, glaring at me playfully.

"You suck," he teased.

"I should hope that she doesn't," Emmett said sternly, "It's a little early in your relationship for that."

I gaped at Emmett and then slapped the back of his head.

"Seriously, Emmett, is your mind always in the gutter?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

"Sorry. It's a constant state of mind for me." Funny, though. He didn't sound sorry at all.

I rolled my eyes at him and then leaned my head on Edward's shoulder. I yawned quietly and he pulled away from me a little.

"Are you sure you want to go out tonight? We can reschedule, if you want," he suggested.

I thought about it for a few minutes. I was really tired but I also didn't want to skip out on this date.

"Or we can just watch a movie at our house or something?" he continued.

"That actually sounds pretty perfect," I smiled.

"Great," Edward said then got this look on his face, as if he was suddenly struck by an idea.

"What's with that face?" I asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it, Bella," he sounded very smug with himself.

I sighed and let him be. He squeezed my hand and then nuzzled his nose against my cheek. I melted against him and couldn't help the blissful smile that spread across my face.

We stayed like that for the remaining time until we arrived home. Edward helped me down from the car and as soon as my feet touched the ground, Alice was dragging me away from Edward and into the house, pulling me up the stairs and to her room.

"Ow! Alice, you're pulling too hard," I whined.

"Oh, stop complaining! This could possibly be the last first date of your entire life, you know, so you better make it count," Alice advised.

I stopped to think about this. She was right, though I admitted it to myself cautiously. I didn't really want to consider the future of Edward's and my relationship, or whatever it was that we were doing, just yet. I simply wanted this first date to go well.

Alice instructed me to take a shower using the bathroom connected to her room while she found me an outfit. I took my time in the shower, letting the warm water relax the tense muscles of my shoulders and back. Alice came in while I was showering and left undergarments and a robe for me to wear when I left the bathroom. I thanked her and quickly finished rinsing the conditioner from my hair.

Of course, she picked the laciest matching set of bra and panties that I had "accidentally" left here after shopping one day. I sighed but put them on anyway, knowing she wouldn't budge even if I did try to argue with her. I pulled the silk robe on after and then left the bathroom.

Alice was waiting for me, holding up a black garment bag. I eyed it curiously and suspiciously. I knew that she wouldn't hide my outfit in a garment bag unless she had a feeling that I might not be comfortable with wearing it.

She saw the look I was giving her, "Oh, calm down. I'm confident that both you and Edward will love this outfit."

"If you say so, Alice," I said slowly, "I trust you, okay?"

She nodded and then put the bag on her bed, flitting out the door to presumably meddle with Edward's plans for tonight. I removed the outfit from the garment bag and took a moment to assess my feelings about it. After a moment, I nodded and smiled, deciding that I liked it.

I took off the robe and hung it up in the bathroom then walked back into Alice's bedroom to pull on the outfit. A few moments after I was done, Alice came in and told me to sit down at her desk so she could do her hair. She swiveled my chair so that I wouldn't be able to see what she was doing to my hair.

"Remember, Alice," I said anxiously, "I trust you."

I could feel Alice roll her eyes at me, "Bella? Shut up and just enjoy this. Go to your happy place so you'll stop freaking out. Think about Edward or something. Jeez."

"I love you, Alice," I grinned.

"You better," she teased me.

Alice and I kept up easy conversation while she was doing my hair. But I could tell that she knew that half of my mind was preoccupied with worrying about my date with Edward. I've definitely been on first dates before but this was Edward I was going on a first date with.

My mind still couldn't completely process that Edward, the guy who can literally have any female he wants, had feelings for me. I also knew that by no means was I ugly, but I had always considered myself below Edward's standards.

"Bella," Alice scolded, "If you're considering bailing on my brother, you better stop that line of thought right now."

"I'm not going to bail on him, Alice. You know I'm not like that. I'm just really nervous that he'll spend time with me tonight and then decide that I'm not really what he wants," I confessed my fears.

"You silly girl," Alice said then placed her hand comfortingly on my shoulder, "Edward confessed that he has feelings for you. In all the time that I've known my brother, I don't think I can recall a time where he has ever told a girl that he likes her. You're special, Bella, and I think that Edward has finally recognized that. Don't sell yourself short just because you can't see yourself the way all of us do."

She squeezed my shoulder once before finishing my hair and starting on my makeup. Alice didn't say much after that, knowing that I needed a little time for my thoughts. I bit my lip and hoped that what Alice said was right. I had been telling the truth earlier when I told Edward that I still have to bring myself to trust him completely after what he's done with other girls before me.

When Alice was finished, she stepped back to examine my face and then got me to stand up so she could adjust my outfit here and there. Then she gave me my shoes, which were white flats with a vivid floral print on them. She had me step into them and then told me turn in a circle. After I complied, she clapped her hands together and grinned.

"You're perfect, and you're ready for your date," she announced then pulled me to stand in front of her floor-length mirror.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing black skinny jeans that fit me like a glove and a loose, flowing dark blue tank top that ended right where it met the waistband of my jeans. The straps of the tank top were wide and made my shoulders look slender. There were little white flowers and green vines that decorated the top, and because it was kind of short, when I moved, about a half-inch or so of skin would show. Alice had applied minimal-makeup, opting for a more natural look. She'd also curled my hair so that it fell in loose waves around my face.

"Alice," I breathed lowly, "Wow."

"I didn't do anything, Bella. That's all you without the usual things that you wear to hide yourself from the world," she winked at me.

"Thank you so much," I smiled and then hugged her tightly.

"You're one of my best friends," Alice said happily, "So have fun tonight. And you have permission to kick my brother's ass if he does something stupid."

We both laughed and then she pushed me out of her room.

"He's waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs, Bella," she told me and then gave me a gentle shove towards the staircase.

I walked to the top of the staircase and then took a deep breath. _You can do this,_ I told myself and then slowly walked down the stairs.

I saw Edward before he saw me. He was holding something behind his back and he was nervously clutching at his hair with his other hand. I chuckled softly and his eyes shot up to me. Once he saw me, his face broke into a smile.

Just as I reached the final stair, he pulled his hand from behind his back to hold a single moonflower out to me. I smiled widely.

"How did you know that moonflowers are my favorite?" I asked curiously as I took the flower from him.

"I've noticed that you like to go to Esme's garden and watch them on the nights that they bloom," he admitted sheepishly.

That made me smile so much wider. I ran into his chest to give him a hug and he chuckled as he held me tightly.

"You look beautiful, like always," he breathed.

"You're not so bad yourself," I breathed back.

He stepped away from me and then took my hand in his, guiding me towards the kitchen.

"So what do you have planned for tonight, Casanova?" I asked playfully.

"It's a surprise," he looked back at me to raise his eyebrows at me.

We reached the kitchen and then he led me out of the door that led to their backyard. The Cullen's backyard was gigantic. However, a large part of that space was reserved for Esme's garden. Edward led me to a spot near Esme's fully bloomed moonflowers where a blanket was lying with a picnic basket on top of it.

"Oh, wow," I said and then sat down.

"Esme insisted on making the food but she allowed me to help a few times," he said and then his ears tinged pink again.

He reached over to push a button on an iPod dock that I hadn't noticed before. Soft music began to play and I laughed.

"Am I hearing right? Is the song that's playing First Date by Blink-182?" I asked with my eyebrows raised.

He blushed then nodded, "Alice caught me listening to it on repeat while I was getting ready and I guess she added it to the playlist that I asked her to make for tonight."

I chuckled, "She would. But I'm glad she did. I love this song, and it describes my mood pretty well."

I blushed as he studied my face then nodded too, "It describes mine perfectly too."

He smiled and then opened the picnic basket before pulling out a plate of salad, "For starters." He gave me a fork and got one for himself. He gestured for me to take the first bite and I obliged.

"It's delicious," I smiled.

"God, I love Esme," Edward nodded after he took a bite.

"That woman can probable make anything taste good," I agreed.

We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying the salad.

"So how's living with Rose and Jazz?" Edward asked.

"It's… different," I admitted, "I guess I'm still not used to living with so many people, even if it is just Jazz, Rose, and their parents. But it's a good different."

"A good different?" Edward inquired and took another bite of salad.

"Yeah. I don't feel as lonely anymore. I remember how often I used to feel that way when I lived with Renee. She could be distant at times because she missed Charlie. She often said that I reminded her of him so she'd try to avoid me every once in a while," I explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, his brow creasing, "I can't stand the thought of you feeling so alone."

"But I don't feel that way anymore," I nudged his shoulder with mine.

When we were done with the salad, he pulled out a large plate that was piled with mashed potatoes, slices of roast beef, vegetables, and macaroni and cheese. I moaned at the sight and smell of it.

"Food makes me so happy," I sighed and then blushed.

"I hope my company can manage to top the food by the time this date is over," he chuckled lowly.

"I don't know, Edward. It's going to be a really tough competition," I teased him.

"Maybe I should just keep the food away from you then," he challenged and then held the plate of food away from me.

"Edward!" I complained and then tried to reach for the plate.

"Bella!" he mocked me as he moved the plate farther away from me.

I reached again and then fell on top of him. I laughed as he looked up at me, dazed. Our eyes met and my laughter died down. I bit my lip and I saw his eyes dart to them. I smirked but then stopped when my own eyes drifted to Edward's lips as he licked them. I leaned down to kiss him but at the last second, I moved so that I kissed just the corner of his lips.

Then I grabbed the plate of food from him and returned to my spot on the blanket, giggling as I removed the saran wrap on top of it and took a bite of the mashed potatoes. Edward sat up slowly and then glared at me playfully.

"You are pure evil, Swan," Edward said, a glint in his eye.

I shrugged then smirked, "I try my best."

He grabbed his fork and then took the plate from me so that he could hold it for the both of us. We ate and kept up a playful banter while we did so. Being with Edward was comfortable, something I didn't usually feel when I was with a guy, much less with a guy on a first date.

Once we finished the plate, he started to pack up and I felt a pang of disappointment. I didn't want the date to be over yet. As I helped him pack up, he looked at my face and then walked over to me. He gently took my chin in his fingers and then tilted my face up to look at him.

"Don't look like that, Bella," he breathed, "This date isn't over yet. We're just moving venues."

I blushed and nodded. We finished packing everything and then he led me closer to the house. He led me to a spot where there was a table with a laptop and a projector on it, facing one of the white walls of the house. I gasped softly and then smiled, thinking of the consideration he'd put into this date.

Edward laid down the blanket on the ground and set the picnic basket down next to the table. I sat down on the blanket while he pulled out what I assumed was dessert and another blanket. He took a minute or two to mess with the laptop and then sat down next to me while the movie started. He sat down next to me and then wrapped the blanket around our shoulders, putting the plate of dessert on his lap.

He showed the plate to me and I saw that it was a fruit tart. I clapped excitedly as he gave me my fork and we started to eat while the intro to the movie played. I looked at Edward curiously when I figured out that it was a Disney movie that we were watching. I gasped when I realized that we were watching Tangled. I turned to Edward and then raised my eyebrows at him.

"I overheard you complaining to Alice and Rosalie that you haven't gotten to see it yet, even though it was your favorite childhood fairytale," he said sheepishly.

"You are something else, Edward," I breathed and then kissed his cheek, snuggling into his side. I ate one last bite of the fruit tart and let him finish it so that I could watch the movie. When he finished it, he left the plate on top of the picnic basket and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tightly so that I leaned back against his chest and pulling the blanket tighter around us while we watched the movie.

By the time the movie was over, I had laughed, cried, and experienced every emotion in between. When I had cried, Edward held me even tighter to his chest and rested his head on my shoulder to comfort me. Once the credits were rolling, I twisted around in his arms and tackled him to the blanket.

"Thank you for this, Edward," I said and hugged him.

"You're very welcome, Bella," he hugged me back just as tightly.

"This was the best first date ever," I whispered.

"I agree," he said softly back, playing with my hair.

I looked up at him and then we started to inch our faces towards each other. I closed my eyes when our lips were just about to touch.

"Bella!"

I jumped away from Edward and he groaned, running his hands over his face. I sighed, knowing how he felt and settled for kissing his cheek just as Rosalie found us

"Sorry, Bella, but we have to go," she said and sounded as if she really meant it, "Mom is starting to get irritated because we're not home yet and we still have to go to school tomorrow."

I nodded and then smiled at Edward, squeezing his hand as I stood up and helped him up too.

"I really had a great time tonight, Edward," I breathed and wrapped my arms around him.

"I did too, my sweet Bella," he replied and hugged me tightly to his chest again.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked as I reluctantly pulled out of his arms.

"Definitely," he replied and kissed my forehead.

"Bella, come on," Rose said, clearly annoyed, "If we don't get home soon, Mom is going to ground all three of us."

Rose took me by the hand and dragged me to my truck where Jasper was already in the driver's seat, waiting for us.

"Did you have fun?" Jazz asked as I climbed in.

An ecstatic smile spread across my face and he laughed.

"I guess that answers your question," Rose smirked as he started driving away from the Cullen's house.

* * *

**I'd say that they had a pretty romantic date, wouldn't you? **

**No first kiss just yet, guys. Why? Because I'm evil like that. :)**

**I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Look forward to more. **

**Please review! And if you have any suggestions, go ahead and PM me or give it to me in a review. :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Love, Jules :)**


	22. GiveHimAChance

**BPOV**

I couldn't fight the grin that stayed plastered to my face the whole ride home. Rosalie couldn't resist teasing me about it the entire time. However, Jasper kept quiet, which was unusual for him after I had a date. I wondered if something was bothering him.

I was going to say something about it but decided it would be better if I talked to him when we got home. When Jasper parked in the driveway to the house, he practically threw his door open before he yanked the key out of the ignition, jumped out of the car, then slammed the door shut.

Rose and I stared at where he had just been sitting. I tried to say something but nothing came out of my mouth. She took one look at my face and then sighed.

"I'll talk to him, alright, Bells?" she said and opened her door to get out of the car.

"No, Rose," I shook my head, following her lead, "I think I should talk to him."

I smiled at her then walked through the front door. Before I looked for Jasper, I said hi to Tia El, kissing her on the cheek. In no way did I think of her as a replacement mother, because there's no way anyone could have taken Renee's place, but she was the closest thing to a mother that I had now. So I made sure that I didn't take her for granted.

She squealed when I told her that it went well, but she saw that I was in a hurry. I think she noticed that Jasper was in a mood when he stormed into the house a few minutes earlier. She gave me a soft smile as she turned me around and pushed me gently towards the stairs.

"Go to him," she told me, "You can give me all the tiny details after you've calmed him."

"Thanks, Tia," I shot her a smile and then walked briskly up the stairs to Jasper's room.

I knocked on his door gently three times and waited for his answer.

"Go away, Isabella," came his muffled response.

I huffed and pushed his door open anyway.

"What the hell?" he seethed as he stood up from his bed, "I didn't say that you could come in. In fact, I told you the opposite. Now get out."

"Jasper, shut up," I snapped and his eyes widened, "Listen, I love you. You're the best big brother I never had. In fact, you're a better big brother to me than Emmett is, because at times, Emmett can be a jerk who revels in making me uncomfortable. And I know that you love me like a sister, because you never let me forget it. So I think you owe it to me to tell me what's bothering you right now. And don't even try to tell me that it doesn't involve me because you only call me Isabella when you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," he shook his head and rubbed his forehead, "I just..."

I waited for him to continue.

"I've seen the way Edward treats girls, Bells," he began again, "I've seen him flirt with them, win them over, use them, and then dump them like it meant absolutely nothing to him. And I'll admit that he's changed a lot since shit started happening to you, but I still can't get over the fact that at any moment, he can switch back to what he was and hurt you. It was easy enough to hope that he'd be good to you when we suspected his feelings for you were growing, but it's a hell of a lot harder to trust him when it's actually happening."

He sat on his bed and rested his head in his hands. I walked over to sit next to him and leaned into his side, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. His whole body was tense. I sighed and reached up to play with his hair like I did when we were younger. It calmed him. Rose and I made sure to let Alice in on the secret when they first started dating.

I felt him slowly relax into me, until he sighed. I stopped playing with his hair and kissed his cheek.

"Jazz, I meant what I said earlier. I appreciate that you take your big brother role this seriously, but I need you to know that I can take care of myself. I know about Edward's... history with girls. I witnessed it on numerous occasions too. If I can forget about that and give him the benefit of the doubt, then you can too. After all, it's not like you're the one who's dating him," I chuckled towards the end.

"And that's exactly it," he continued, sounding frustrated, "I'm not the one who would get hurt. That's one pain that I can't protect you from, and that scares the shit out of me."

"And it's one pain that you weren't meant to protect me from," I told him, "Need I remind you that guys have been breaking my heart for a long time?"

He winced and started to respond but I cut him off, "If Edward hurts me, you have every right to kick his ass so hard that he won't be able to sit down correctly for the rest of his life. But he says he's hell-bent on earning my trust, and I'm willing to give him the opportunity to do so. I need you to dig down deep and remember why you're such good friends with him in the first place."

He sighed and nodded.

I went on, "You're not the only one who's scared that I'm going to get hurt, Jazzy. I'm terrified, but I have a good feeling about him. You never know, he could surprise all of us."

He pulled me in for a hug and I giggled.

"Fine, Bells," Jazz said softly, "You win."

He kissed my hair and I grinned.

"Thanks, Jazzy," I said and kissed his cheek when he let me go.

"But if he hurts you, his ass is mine," he warned.

I nodded solemnly.

"Come on, I'm sure Rose and Mom are dying for the details of your date," he teased me as we walked downstairs together where, sure enough, the two of them were waiting for me at the dining table.

* * *

**Pretty short chapter.**

**But the big brother thing had to be done, knowing Emmett and Jasper. **

**I think it's going to be BPOV from now on.**

**We're nearing the end of this story, guys.**

**And you know what that means ;)**

**Yup, the stalker is coming back soon. **

**Well, that's kind of impossible because he's never left, but you know what I mean...**

**Mmkay. So coming up soon is the first kiss, the talent showcase, and then the resolution to the conflict with the stalker.**

**I'm determined to finish this story by the end of winter break so I have, like, two weeks left.**

**I hope you're looking forward to it ;)**

**Also, I have a new story up.**

**It's called Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater!**

**Please check it out.**

**Review if you want the last few chapters to come sooner ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Lots of love, Jules**


	23. CalmBeforeTheStorm

**BPOV**

School passed by fairly quickly the next day. Unfortunately, I didn't see much of Edward until the car ride to the dance school. I was telling Edward how I missed Miss Santiago as we climbed into the car. Dance classes for seniors were cancelled so that we had more time to practice for the showcase that was only two weeks away.

At that thought, my heart stopped then tried to sprint right out of my chest. I can't believe that so much time had passed. This showcase was probably the only shot the seniors had at being spotted by dance troupes and college scouts.

_No pressure, right? Wrong. So very freaking wrong, _I thought.

Edward seemed to sense my apprehension and squeezed my hand tightly. I smiled nervously at him and he kissed my forehead.

"Love, calm down," he chuckled, "You're going to be absolutely amazing at that showcase."

"Thank you, Edward," I said softly.

"Stop psyching yourself out, Bella," he hugged me, "Just dance like you always do, with all the passion you can muster, and all those scouts will be begging for you to join their dance troupe or attend the college that they're representing."

"You're just saying that," I rolled my eyes.

He took my chin between his index finger and thumb and tilted my head up to look at him.

"I am _not_ just saying that," he said vehemently and I nodded.

"Okay, Edward," I said and kissed his nose.

He made a face at me and I laughed.

"Hey," Emmett cautioned, "No making out in the back of my car."

I rolled my eyes at him, "You always make out in the back of mine."

"Well, that's different," he sputtered.

"Stop teasing us, Em," Edward said and rolled his eyes.

Rose punched Emmett's shoulder and nodded, "Yeah, seriously. Leave them be."

"Fine, fine," he muttered and I laughed.

He pulled into a parking space close to the doors to the school and unlocked the doors to let us out. When I got out of the car, Emmett pulled me aside and rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous.

"Listen, Bells," he said, looking uncomfortable, "I hope you're not offended by my teasing or anything. I just... don't quite know how to handle that you and Eddie are dating, y'know?"

I smiled and ruffled his hair, "It's all good, Emmy. I love you, bro."

"I love you too, sis," he grinned and hugged me tightly, even lifting me up from the ground for a few moments.

"And if he hurts you, I'll kill him," he promised with an easy grin on his face.

I laughed and nodded, "I figured."

Edward was waiting for me, standing a few feet away to give Emmett and me a little privacy to talk. The others were waiting by the entrance to the dance school. I looked at Edward's face and saw a hint of nervousness in his expression.

I turned to Emmett, "You threatened him, didn't you?"

Emmett didn't even look guilty as he nodded, "Sure did, Bells. I'm not so worried, though. He's really into you, Bells. And he'd be crazy not to be."

He smiled his dimpled grin and I just nodded.

"Thanks, Em," I smiled.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and walked briskly towards the dance school. As we passed Edward, I grabbed his hand and towed him behind us until he matched our pace. He laughed and squeezed my hand. I grinned at our other friends as we walked up to them.

Emmett released me to go to Rose, so Edward pulled me into his side and wrapped his arm around my waist. I blushed as we walked through the halls of the dance school, attracting the attention of most of the students.

I wasn't oblivious to the glares that most of the girls were giving me. In fact, I was overtly aware of them. It made me really uncomfortable, and I began to fidget. However, Edward rubbed my back and I calmed down a little.

"You have quite the fan club, Edward," I said, trying to joke around but it sounded a little strangled.

"Those girls don't matter, Bella," he said, kissing the side of my head, "You're the only one that I want."

I blushed and kissed his nose. Our group stopped in the middle of the hallway of the classrooms that we usually used.

"Okay, so couples again, all day?" Alice suggested and everybody nodded.

Edward took my hand and led me to the room that we usually used. We began to stretch on our own wordlessly as music from my iPod filled the room.

"Do you want to do a warm up dance?" Edward asked me.

"Sure," I smiled, "Do you have a song in mind?"

"I think so..." he trailed off and scrolled through my iPod until he found a song.

I smiled as You and I by Anarbor began to play. He walked to me while the beginning played. I don't think I can tell you the moves to our dance. All I remember is being unable to break eye contact with Edward as he spun me around the room, his eyes bright with emotion.

When the song ended, Edward dipped me almost all the way to the floor and didn't move from that position. He rested his forehead against mine. He watched as I slowly closed the gap between our lips. I kept my eyes open until the second my lips touched his in a sweet kiss.

A breathtaking smile lit his face when I pulled back and I blushed. He kissed me again, but it lasted a little longer this time. Our lips moved together chastely until Edward pulled away a moment later. I bit my lip shyly, and he groaned in response.

"If we're going to get any work done today, you can't keep tempting me by biting your lip like that," he laughed as he stood up, helping me get on my feet.

"If it gets you to kiss me more, I don't think I care all that much," I laughed, burying my face in his chest.

We stayed in the position for a few minutes. However, the pressure of the looming showcase caused anxiety to bloom in my chest, and I pulled away from Edward.

"Come on," I grinned, kissing him on the lips once more, "We've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

**The end is nigh!**

**XD **

**Next chapter is the showcasee.**

**I think there are only two or three more chapters left.**

**I haven't quite decided, but it's going to end soon.**

**Review if you want the update to come faster ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Oh, and Merry Christmass! :D**

**Love, Jules **


	24. CornyAndLame

**BPOV**

I woke up the day of the senior showcase feeling as if I was being watched. Panic rose in the center of my chest, but I forced myself to believe that it was just the nerves affecting me. However, a voice in the back of my mind whispered words of doubt and anxiety.

I groaned as I looked at the clock and read that the time was 1 in the morning. I lay back in bed and buried myself under my covers. Recalling breathing exercises from a yoga class that I took a few years ago, I slowly calmed my breathing and was able to sleep a few more hours.

I bolted awake again at 3 in the morning from a nightmare. I couldn't recall what was in it, only the sense that I had to get away from someone or something. I felt terrified, and the feeling remained with me even as I shook off the last remnants of the dream.

I sighed and stood up from my bed, deciding to go downstairs for a cup of tea to calm myself down. As I walked down the stairs, I could have sworn that I heard someone in the kitchen. I assumed it was Jasper or Rose who were unable to sleep as well.

However, I didn't see anybody when I turned the kitchen light on. Dread seemed to form a heavy lump in my stomach as I made my tea. I used the bathroom quickly before returning to stay with my tea while it heated until boiling on the stove. When my tea was finished, I took it and moved to the living room to watch TV while I drank.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I felt was someone carrying me up the stairs and laying me down in my bed.

"Thanks, Jazz," I said softly and turned over in my bed, falling asleep before I could hear his reply.

I slept fitfully until Rose shook me awake.

"Bells, are you okay?" I heard her ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied as I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"You slept in a little late," she said, "It's noon already."

My eyebrows furrowed, "Noon?"

"Yeah," Rose grinned, "You really knocked out last night, huh?"

I laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I must have been really tired from waking up in the middle of the night."

"Is it the nerves?" she asked sympathetically and I nodded.

"I'm pretty sure it is," I smiled, still just slightly doubtful that my inability to sleep was because of the showcase.

"We're all pretty nervous, Bells, but we're going to stun the clothes right off those scouts," she winked at me.

"What a lovely image, Rose," I rolled my eyes at her as I got up from bed. We walked down the stairs together.

"I know, right?" she laughed as we walked into the kitchen to find Jasper sipping a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Jazz," I grinned, "Thanks for carrying me upstairs last night."

He raised an eyebrow at me then shook his head.

"That wasn't me, Bells," he said innocently, "I was asleep in my bed the whole night."

"More like Alice's bed," Rose snickered and I laughed.

It was no secret that those two had regular sleepovers.

"I'm surprised that Emmett wasn't in yours," I told Rose, raising my eyebrows at her. It was also well-known that Rose and Emmett slept over at each other's houses on a regular basis.

"We wouldn't have gotten any sleep if I did," she laughed at the face I made.

"Gross!" I pretended to gag.

I sighed after we stopped laughing then mused, "If it wasn't you, Jazz, then who got me in my bed last night?"

"Are you sure Edward didn't sleep here tonight?" Jazz teased me.

"Yes, I'm positive," I rolled my eyes at him, "It must have been your dad, I guess."

I shrugged and we dropped the subject, talking instead about our schedule for the day. It had been decided that the boys were going to get ready for the showcase at the Cullen's house and the girls were going to get ready in Rose's house. Alice was supposed to be over in an hour or so with her brothers, and Emmett and Edward were going to drive Jasper back to their house.

We would get ready, go through our routines one last time, then meet up at the dance school at 6, an hour before the showcase started. Jazz, Rose, and I messed around until the others arrived.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. I shivered lightly and turned around to kiss him on the lips, which I had become very well-acquainted with over the past few weeks. The kiss lasted a little longer than I'd intended, because Edward was an amazing kisser. I kind of found myself getting lost in him a lot. He was so all-encompassing and addicting, especially when he was kissing me.

We only stopped when Emmett cleared his throat loudly, as if he'd done it multiple times to catch our attention. I pulled away from him and blushed. He chuckled and kissed my forehead, turning me back around but not letting go of me.

"Did you sleep well?" Edward asked me.

"Kind of," I answered, not willing to elaborate.

He nodded in response.

"Me too," he kissed my head.

"You nervous?" I asked.

"Not really," he replied, "You?"

"Hell yeah," I replied.

"Let's not think of it as the senior showcase. It's any other dance performance, okay, sweetie?" he told me and I nodded.

He'd told me that he wasn't too interested in a career in dancing. He said he loved to dance but he wasn't sure that he wanted to make it the thing that he does for his entire life. He argued that it would make him hate dancing, and he didn't want that.

I kind of understood where he was coming from. However, dancing was everything to me. I couldn't imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life. He said he couldn't imagine me not dancing for the rest of my life too.

Our conversations in the past few weeks revolved a lot around the future, because we already knew pretty much everything about each other's pasts. However, because we've only been together for a short time, I've been avoiding the "L" word. I was fairly certain, 98.99% sure, that I was in love with him, but I was terrified that he didn't feel the same way. So I kept my mouth shut about my desire for a future with him.

"Where were you just now?" Edward asked me, his breath on my ear.

I shook my head, smiling, "Nowhere."

"Boys, it's time for you all to leave!" Alice announced loudly.

Edward groaned and held onto my middle tightly, "I don't wanna go."

I laughed as he buried his face in my neck.

"Don't let her make me leave you," he pleaded and I laughed harder.

"Babe, you have to," I reasoned with him.

"No!" he said petulantly.

"You'll see me in a few hours," I promised him.

"Not fast enough," he complained.

"Alice _will_ force you to go," I told him.

"I want to stay with you," he simply said.

"And I want to stay with you too, but you know Alice isn't going to allow it," I replied softly.

"She can go to hell," he muttered.

"Edward!" I said, shocked, "Be nice!"

"Fine..." he mumbled.

"I'll text you," I promised, "Now go!"

"Bye, love," he said as he kissed me.

"Bye," I mumbled against his lips.

I pulled back then pecked him on the lips once more, "Now go and do boy things."

"Boy things?" he asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, like the things you used to do before you started dating me," I rolled my eyes.

"Believe me when I say I have no clue what I used to do before I started dating you," he said sincerely.

"You flatter me to convince me to stay with you," I laughed, "Go, babe!"

He shot me a beautiful smile right before Emmett and Jasper dragged him out of the front door. I still had a goofy smile on my face when I turned to my best friends, who were both smiling at me creepily.

"Why are you two smiling like that?" I flinched.

"You love him," Alice sang.

"And he totally feels the same way," Rose winked at me.

My face flushed a bright red, "I-I... Uh..."

"Don't even begin to try to deny anything," Rose warned.

"We already know," Alice laughed.

"And we know you well enough to know why you haven't said anything to him," Rose added.

"And we're not going to force you to say anything to him, but he's not going to tell you how he feels unless you say something first," Alice shrugged.

"I..." I sighed, "Fine."

"Good," Alice smirked, "Now we only have 3 hours to get ready, so let's get started!"

Alice dragged Rose and me upstairs and shoved Rose into one of the bathrooms, telling her that she had to go first because she takes the longest showers. She then dragged me to my room and lay a black garment bag on my bed.

"After you take a shower, put that on and then we'll do your makeup and hair," she said, "No one is wearing the same outfit, just so you know. And I do have to say that I outdid myself with our dresses this time."

She grinned proudly and I laughed, "I have no doubt about that, Alice."

"Take a shower as soon as Rose finishes, alright?" she smiled, "I already showered. So I'm going to get dressed and do my makeup and hair while Rose is showering so that I can start her hair and makeup while you shower, then Rose and I can both work on _your_ makeup and hair."

I nodded slowly as if I understood her last statement, and she rolled her eyes at me. She didn't even say bye as she flitted out of my room. I just shook my head at her. Alice was something else, that's for sure.

I did as I was told, jumping into the shower the second Rose was done. I took my time, letting the steam clear my mind and the water wash away my anxiety. When I stepped out of the shower, I felt significantly more confident about my upcoming performance.

I dried off quickly, not bothering to do anything to my hair yet for fear of doing something wrong. Alice would literally kill me if I did anything that would mess up her plans.

With that thought in mind, I pulled on a strapless bra, underwear, spankies, the dress, and black lace tights. The dress was designed to resemble a ballerina's outfit. It was a cutout dress with thin straps. The bodice was black and the fabric criss-crossed in a pattern of X's at my sides to show off some of my skin. The dress ended with a full ivory tulle skirt, that looked like a tutu. It was really beautiful. (Link: www. modcloth .com /shop /dresses /pop-prima-donna-dress )

I smiled and walked into Rose's room. My jaw dropped when I saw Rose's and Alice's dresses. They were beautiful! Alice was wearing a one-shouldered dress with a black bodice and a gold-sequined skirt that flared from her waist. (Link: www. modcloth .com /shop /dresses /name-it-and-win-it-merry-bright-idea-day-1-dress ) Rose was wearing an asymmetrical dress. It was black, strapless, with a layered skirt that reached the floor in the back and rested a few inches above her knees in the front. (www. modcloth .com /shop /dresses /storm-in-the-air-dress )

I couldn't hold back my grin. Nobody would be able to take their eyes off of us, especially off of Rose and Alice.

"You guys look incredible!" I smiled.

"You do too, Bella!" Rose yelled.

"Damn, that dress looks better on you than I thought it would!" Alice cried excitedly.

"Come on, let's get started on your hair and makeup," Rose smiled.

An hour and a half later, we were ready for the showcase. Alice had done our makeup indentically. We were all wearing a light gold eye shadow with a little brown eye shadow at the corner of our eyelids with thick, black eyeliner and light pink lipstick. Alice had straightened her hair, Rose curled hers into bouncy ringlets, and I had curled mine enough to make it thick and wavy.

We arrived at the dance school in Alice's car and found the boys already waiting for us. We stepped out of the car, one by one and watched the boys' reactions.

Emmett made the sign of the cross over his chest and Rose rolled her eyes at him. Jasper gave Alice a slow, sexy smile and Alice returned it. Edward ran up to me, grabbed me by the waist, and lifted me in the air. I squealed, holding onto him for dear life.

"You, my dear girlfriend, are the prettiest thing i have ever seen in my life," he said softly, "Absolutely gorgeous."

"You're not so bad yourself, Edward," I grinned as I ran my hands through his untamed hair.

I looked at him and saw that he was wearing a black button down shirt and jeans.

"Thanks," he smiled crookedly at me and leaned in to kiss me.

"Ah!" Alice yelled, "No kissing! You'll ruin her lipstick."

We both pouted but she shook her head, "Nope! No kissing until after our routine!"

Edward and I both nodded resignedly. We all walked into the dance school and to the auditorium meant for recitals. We went backstage, checked in with Miss Santiago, and stretched on our own.

We waited nervously as the showcase started and other groups went on before us. When Mr. Banner finally announced our group, we shared a look and a group hug before we took our places on the stage in front of a full auditorium.

Collectively, everyone in our group felt the nervousness and anxiety slowly dissipate as a sense of confidence started to build and flow through our group. The first song in our routine started and the confidence grew and solidified. We'd experienced a lot in the past few months, and this showcase meant little in the big scheme of things. We were a family, which is why whatever happened at that moment didn't really matter. It's corny and sounds extremely lame, but we all knew it to be the truth. So instead of worrying about what was going to happen, we danced.

And we were incredible.

* * *

**Two more chapters left :)**

**And so the end draws nearer and nearer~**

**Don't worry, the dancing is going to be in the next chapter. XD**

**I just didn't want this chapter to be supeeeer long and the next chapter to be short.**

**I've gotta space these things out, you know?**

**Anyway, I would say that I'm sorry for the corniness there at the end, but I'm really not.**

**Life needs corniness, alright?**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Love, Jules :)**


	25. ThumpThump

**BPOV**

The performance was a blur. When we practiced it the other day, the whole routine lasted longer than seven minutes. However, I felt like somebody had decided to fast forward the performance, making everything happen faster than it was supposed to be. I knew it was because of the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

All six of us were breathing hard by the time we hit our final positions and froze, waiting for the song to end and for the audience to applaud. I saw people, one by one, start to stand up and move their hands until almost everyone was on their feet, clapping for us. The deafening sound of the audience's applause didn't register in my ears until Edward dropped me from our final lift.

We all linked hands and then bowed once. The sound grew and we dutifully bowed again, humongous grins on our faces. We ran backstage and shared a group hug.

"Oh my god!" Alice squealed.

"My heart is beating really fast," I gasped, putting a hand to my chest.

"They loved us!" Emmett pumped his fist in the air.

I turned to Edward and he pulled me to him.

"You were incredible, love," he whispered to me, kissing me hard.

"God, you were too," I told him breathlessly, kissing him again frantically.

A quick glance at our friends told me that they were sharing a moment with their significant others too, so I didn't really care that Edward and I were making out like our lives depended on it.

When we finally pulled away from each other and turned to our friends, they were laughing at us. I was still too high on adrenaline to be embarrassed, so I shrugged. Edward laughed and hid his face in my hair.

"Edward, I smell like sweat," I complained.

"I don't care," he rolled his eyes, "You still smell good."

"Creep," I teased, kissing the tip of his nose again.

"But you love me," he joked back.

"Yeah, I do," I rolled my eyes at him and then realized what I'd just told him.

My eyes widened as I looked up at his face. His expression was blank, trying to process if I was joking with him or if I really meant it. I chuckled, but it came out a little strangled.

Just then, Rose pushed past Edward to hand me my phone.

"It's been ringing for the past few minutes," she said apologetically.

"Oh, sorry!" I took the phone and stepped away from Edward to answer it.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone, but only silence was my answer.

"Hello?" I said again, a little louder.

"Isabella..." a voice whispered.

I froze, recognizing it as the voice of the guy who had been terrorizing me a few weeks ago. My stalker... I thought he'd gotten bored when I refused to be scared of him anymore. I just assumed that he'd decided to leave me alone.

"I..." I stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"You're a beautiful dancer, Isabella. I'd almost forgotten just how talented you are, but your performance tonight reminded me," he said, "However, I'm not fond of your relationship with that one boy."

"Don't hurt him," I begged softly, looking around.

That feeling was back, the one where I felt like I was being watched. I nearly sobbed but forced myself to be strong.

"Oh, no. _I _won't hurt him," the man chuckled, "But you will."

"I _refuse_!" I shook my head vehemently.

"I don't think so," he laughed darkly, "If you don't follow my every instruction from this moment on, I will kill _everyone_ you care about, starting with that stupid boy you think you're in love with. And then you really will be alone, and it'll be all your fault."

I paced worriedly, thinking rapidly. A sob escaped my chest and I ran my hand through my hair roughly.

"You have no choice, Isabella, so stop pacing and do as I say, got it?" he snapped roughly.

"Y-yes," I stuttered, suddenly scared at how close he was to me.

"Break his heart, my dear girl," he commanded, "Make him hate you, so that I know he won't ever come looking for you. Do it in front of your friends so that they'll hate you too. We can't have anyone looking for you for the next few hours." He laughed darkly again and I shuddered violently.

"Break his heart or I'll break his neck, Isabella," he snapped when he noticed my hesitation. "Don't underestimate me, girl. I _will_ do it and I'll enjoy every fucking second of taking away everything you love!"

"Okay, okay," I cried, tears falling rapidly from my face.

"Good," he said then hung up.

I slipped my phone into my bra and leaned onto the closest wall to take a few deep breaths. I calmed myself as best as I could and prepared myself to hurt the people I swore I never would.

I could tell that I was significantly paler than when I first left my friends, and I knew that they noticed when they saw me walking back to them, blatant concern on their faces.

"Bella, are you okay?" Rose asked.

I couldn't look her in the eye as I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

The lie was clear, even in my ears.

"Bella?" Edward asked, concerned.

"What?" I snapped, my eyes filling with tears.

"Did I do something?" he asked, his eyes looking sad.

"No," I huffed, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Then why are you pissed?" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm not," I spat, hating the way my stomach churned because of what I was going to do, "I just... don't think I can do this anymore."

"Do what?" Edward asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper eyed me cautiously. I made sure not to meet their eyes and reminded myself that I was doing this to protect them. I'd rather they hate me than be killed by a man who wanted something from me.

"This relationship!" I yelled at Edward, despising the way his face crumpled.

"What the hell are you talking about, Bella?" Emmett questioned.

"This morning you were just telling us that you love him," Rose shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, I don't," I rolled my eyes, my heart breaking with every lie that escaped my mouth, "How could I ever love _him_?"

Alice slapped me, and I welcomed the pain. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I knew that it was obvious that I was hyperventilating, but I couldn't control it. I still couldn't meet anyone's eyes, staring straight at the ground.

"Stop lying!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face, "You love him! I don't know what that stupid phone call was all about, but you're lying! You've been bouncing your right leg up and down for this entire fucking conversation."

I froze when I remembered that the last time I'd tried to push them away, my right leg had given me away as well.

"I'm so sorry," I burst into tears, "He said he'd kill all of you if I didn't do this..."

"Bella!" Rose shouted as I felt something hard and metal pressed against my temple as a strong arm wrapped around my neck.

"I didn't take into account that my Isabella is one of the worst liars I've ever encountered. I figured she'd grown out of that since she was a little girl, but I guess I was wrong," my stalker breathed, laughing darkly again.

I finally looked up at my friends and saw Jasper and Emmett holding Edward back from rushing to me. I locked eyes with him, trying to tell him that I was sorry for what I'd said, that I didn't mean it, and that I really did love him without saying anything aloud. He only nodded tersely in response.

Alice couldn't take her eyes off of the gun pointed at my head and Rose was glaring helplessly at my stalker.

"You bastard! When I get my hands on you..." Emmett seethed.

"Let go of her!" Edward yelled, "I'll kill you, motherfucker!"

"Ah, ah, ah," he sang, "Don't forget who's got the gun and the beautiful dancer in his grasp."

I gasped when he dug the barrel of the gun into my temple slightly. I whimpered.

"I'm so sorry," I breathed to my friends, not quite sure what I was apologizing for because there were so many things I _could_ be really sorry for in this moment.

The man behind me removed the gun from my temple and pointed it at each of my friends. I struggled harder against him, thrashing and elbowing him to make him let go of me.

"Isabella, stop struggling," he demanded.

I shook my head and struggled harder. He was threatening my friends! How dare he think that I would stop fighting him when they were in danger!

"Oh, for god's sake," he muttered and then hit the back of my head with the handle of the gun.

I blacked out almost instantly. The darkness smothered me, keeping me from the reality of the situation I was in. I tried to fight it, but my mind felt like it was encased in honey. My thoughts were sluggish, barely flitting through my mind and registering before slipping from my grasp.

I was aware of loud sounds though. I heard shouting, a loud thump, more shouting, a gunshot, then more shouting. My mind couldn't quite register the implication of the sounds, but anxiety rose in my throat because of them. It made it hard to breathe.

Then I was being carried, and the sounds slowly faded until everything was silent except for my captor's harsh breathing. This continued for a few minutes. I knew it wasn't Emmett, Jasper, or Edward that was carrying me because I wouldn't have felt so instinctively terrified.

I tried to make sense of his movements but I couldn't tell if he was walking down a hall, in an elevator, going upstairs, walking outside, or getting into a car... My head lolled away from the person carrying me in panic, and I slowly became more aware of everything as I came to.

"Isabella," my stalker rasped, "This is all for you."

"My beautiful Isabella," he whispered.

I opened my eyes a crack to examine my surroundings. We were still in the dance school but heading to one of the classrooms. I couldn't tell what floor we were on. My thoughts were still sluggish, and I mentally cursed. I saw a glimmer of hope, however, built into the wall of the dance school.

I didn't think twice before I lifted my hand and pulled the fire alarm. My kidnapper cursed and entered the closest classroom.

"Why the fuck would you do that?" he yelled as he put me down on the floor.

I got my first good look at the man. He had dark blue eyes, sharp facial features, a crooked nose, and an evil smirk. His dark hair reached his shoulders, and his build told me that he was a dancer. I saw that his jaw was beginning to bruise where someone had presumably punched him. There was something very familiar about him, but I couldn't place it.

"I should kill you for that, Isabella!" he snapped, slapping me hard across the face, and I sobbed loudly.

"Oh," his face softened dramatically as he knelt to take my face in his hands, "I didn't mean to scare or hurt you, Isabella. I'm just mad because you're fighting this when you shouldn't be. This is for what's best."

"This is what's best for me?" I asked incredulously, studying the face of my stalker.

"Yes," he nodded emphatically, a crazed glint in his eyes, "Everything I've ever done for you is what's best for you. Killing Charlie, Renee, and Phil, marking you with those cuts on your back, scaring you, shooting that boy..."

"What?" I screamed.

"Yes, the large one," he shrugged, his blue eyes never moving from my face, "He punched me and tried to take you from me."

"Emmett," I whimpered and started sobbing.

He shushed me, "No one takes what's mine, darling."

I sobbed again, shaking my head.

"Isabella, stay quiet while I check this area, okay?" he demanded, "Or I'll find those other friends of yours and shoot them too."

I bit my lip to keep quiet and nodded frantically. When he left, I flipped over onto my stomach and whipped out the phone I had stored in my bra earlier. I sent a mass text to all six of my friends, Jasper and Rose's parents, and Carlisle and Esme. I told them to call 911 for Emmett first, then call the police station and ask for Sam's help. I also told them that I was still somewhere in the dance school and to wait until it was safe to come looking for me. I also told them how much I loved them, just in case I didn't make it.

Of course I abbreviated everything, which was unusual for me, but the message couldn't be too long because I knew my captor could walk in at any moment. I had just hit the send button when he walked back in. I slipped the phone back into my bra and flipped back over. I had forgotten that my phone lights up again a few moments after I send a text to tell me that it had indeed sent.

My kidnapper saw the light shine through the fabric of my dress and roared in anger. I scrambled away from him in fear, yanking the phone out of my bra and smashing it into the ground so that he wouldn't know what or who I texted.

He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me out of the classroom, leaving the pieces of my phone in a pile. He threw me into the elevator and pushed the button for the roof. He glared down at me and I glared back, refusing to let him know how much he scared me.

"That was a very stupid thing to do, Isabella," he said quietly.

This scared me worse than when he was shouting at me.

"Everything I'm doing is so that we can be together, Isabella," he cooed, shaking his head, "Everything since the first day we met. You were so little... But even then you were such a talented dancer, and you hadn't had any formal training back then. But now that you're all grown up, you're even more beautiful and your talent has grown immensely... I can hardly believe it."

He still held me by the hair as he dragged me onto the roof, my legs getting scraped by the dirty floor. Kids used to talk about going up to the roof to ditch classes and drink beer. I was reminded of this when I felt a glass shard from a broken beer bottle embed itself in my thigh.

"I don't even know you," I angrily muttered.

He genuinely looked hurt, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You were very young when we first met."

He finally released his grip on my hair and I gasped, feeling the pain set into my skull. I quickly forgot about my headache when he grabbed and lifted me off the floor by my throat.

"Look into my eyes, Isabella," he smirked, "When we first met, you said that I had the prettiest eyes you'd ever seen."

I looked at his eyes, feeling the lack of oxygen slowly affect my thinking process. A few more moments of eye contact, and I finally realized who he was.

"Alec Volturi," I gasped and he released my throat.

I landed in a painful heap at his feet.

"So you do remember me, my Isabella," he smirked.

My mind raced with hazy memories. Alec Volturi was my first dance instructor. For Christmas when I was four years old my parents surprised me with dance lessons at the Volturi Ballet Studio, which was just down the street from my house.

Alec, eighteen at the time, was the son of the owners. He was my teacher and one of my best friends. He treated me like a princess, and I enjoyed every second of it. He was a beautiful ballet dancer, and he'd told me of his dreams to join a prestigious troupe, to dance for the rest of his life.

However, there was a car accident with a huge truck, or something like that. Most of the bones in his left leg had shattered upon impact, so he wasn't able to dance as well even when he'd completely healed. He grew angrier and angrier until he started hitting students.

My parents pulled me out of the Volturi Ballet Studio and enrolled me into the Phoenix Center for Performing Arts as quickly as they could. I remember being sad because I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Alec, but with my new dance classes, I quickly forgot all about him. I forgot about the Volturi Ballet Studio entirely.

"What do you want from me?" I asked angrily.

"I don't want anything _from_ you," he rolled his eyes, "I just want _you_."

"What?" I shook my head, thoroughly confused. But I remember that he had written that in the letter he'd left by my body when he'd hit me over the head in a cemetery.

"I created you, Isabella," he ranted, pacing, "Don't you see? The talent that you possess... I was the first to inspire that in you, to discover it, to help you perfect it. Then my talent gets ripped away from me by some drunk hick driving a 16-wheeler! It's not fair! I hated you for the longest time... I guess you could say I was jealous."

He stopped and gazed at my face, his eyes softening, "But then I couldn't be mad at you because I remembered what a sweetheart you were. So kind and caring... You'd so gladly give your life away, your talent, anything to help someone else. That's when I was struck by an idea. I'm the only one who understands you, Isabella. I'm the only one who could truly take care of you. I had to make you mine, because that's the only way you could share your talent with the world without someone trying to hurt you."

"Your beauty is an amazing plus, too," he gave me a disturbing smile. He gently trailed his fingers down my cheek, "Any man would be lucky to have you, which is another reason why I had to have you. I couldn't stand anyone not knowing you were mine. That's why I marked your back."

"I'm what's best for you," he said simply.

"Killing my parents and Phil, cutting my back, and hurting my friends is what's best for me?" I screamed at him.

"Charlie didn't care about your dancing," he shook his head, "He didn't think it was a suitable career for you. He was going to ruin your dreams of dancing for the rest of your life. So I killed him to keep him from breaking your heart and discouraging you from following your dreams. Phil and Renee were going to get married and Phil had just accepted a job offer that would have moved you all to the east coast. They gave no thought to how you would have felt, being ripped away from the place you were born and raised and where all of your friends are. I marked you so people would know you are mine. No one else can have you! And your friends have no clue what's best for you. They were trying to take you away from me! I did it for you! I did everything for you!"

I was shaking so hard from anger that I couldn't even speak.

"Plus, killing Renee and Phil gave me the opportunity to adopt you. I had a plan all worked out... However, I didn't anticipate that Renee would have declared you an emancipated minor," he shrugged, "A kink in the plan, but I would never have stopped until you were in my possession, which is why we're in this situation now."

"I hate you!" I burst.

"You'll eventually understand why I did what I did, Isabella," but there was an undeniable glint of anger in his eyes, "I don't expect you to understand now, but I can wait for you to realize how grateful you should be. After all, I'm never letting you out of my sight after tonight."

I shivered and shook my head, tears spilling down my eyes. I couldn't hear sirens, not even the siren of an ambulance for Emmett. I felt so hopeless, like no one would come to save me.

"I'm not going with you," I whispered brokenly.

"What was that?" he asked calmly, but I could see the rage in the tense set of his shoulders.

"I refuse to go anywhere with you, you crazy bastard!" I yelled.

"You will shut your mouth, Isabella," he spat, "I've lived so much of my life for you. How dare you be ungrateful!"

"You've done nothing for me," I countered, "You're a selfish has-been that wants to live vicariously through me."

"How dare you!" he roared, and he slapped me so hard that I fell to the ground again. I hadn't even realized that I'd stood up when I was shouting at him.

He strode up to me and kicked me in the stomach. The air escaped from my lungs and I choked, trying to remember how to breathe in. He kicked me repeatedly, waiting until I stopped moving to step away from me.

"You left me no choice," he explained, shrugging.

I glared at him from where I lay on the dirty ground. There was a burning pain in my chest, and I fought to keep from crying out or whimpering in pain.

"I just want you to be happy," he pleaded with me, "Why can't you see that?"

"I will _never_ be happy with you!" I swore.

"If that's what you think, then I'll make sure that's what happens," he promised, "If I can't have you, then no one can. I'll make sure that you won't be able to dance ever again."

He looked around the dirty roof while I tried to stand up so that I could run away from him. He was truly beginning to scare me now. My chest throbbed with pain as I pushed myself onto my hands and knees, managing to finally stand with the help of a nearby crate.

When I looked up, he was gone. I dashed for the door that led to the stairs but was stopped by Alec. My heart nearly stopped when I saw that he had placed a sledgehammer by his feet.

"Who the hell would bring a sledgehammer up here and not fucking bring it back down?" I complained.

Alec only smirked as he brought back his fist and punched me in the face. I stumbled back and he kicked me in the chest again, making me fall flat on my back and hit my head on the floor where he had hit me earlier.

I was dazed as I scrambled away from Alec, using my arms to scoot me backwards. I distantly heard sirens in the parking lot and hope temporarily flared in my chest. However, he began to look more and more feral, like a tiger backed into a corner.

I distantly realized that he was starting to run out of options, and he was starting to panic. Panic typically causes people to make hasty, drastic decisions and that significantly decreased my chances of survival.

I continued to scramble away from Alec, but I saw him raise his gun too late. He pulled the trigger three times. One bullet embedded itself into my stomach, and the other two bullets grazed either arm. I suddenly found any movement very difficult and extremely painful.

I glared at him as he walked over to me cockily. I lashed out at him when he got close to me, kicking and screaming at him. He cursed as I kicked him in the crotch.

He roared in anger as he brought the sledgehammer down hard on my thigh. I cried out as I felt the bone break. I screamed, long, loud, and piercing. He laughed at the sound.

"Such a beautiful sound coming out of a beautiful girl," he laughed darkly.

I sobbed from the pain, harsh grunts escaping me in between sharp intakes of breath. He raised the sledgehammer to break my other femur, but the door to the stairway burst open and multiple voices called my name. A gunshot rang out as footsteps clamored towards me. I distantly saw Alec drop the sledgehammer in front of him and fall forward, not moving.

I looked up and found the frightened eyes of Sam, Emmett, Edward, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie. I paid very little attention to the two officers who were arresting Alec.

My eyes raked over all of my friends, making sure they were unhurt. Emmett's arm was in a sling and he had a bandage wrapped tightly around his arm. I could see the bloodstain on the bandage, though, and guilt flooded through me.

My eyes made their way back to Edward quickly. He reached me the fastest, kneeling by me. I started to babble and sob at the same time. I was still sprawled out on the floor in a painful heap. He slid his arms underneath me, jostling me enough to make me whimper. I pressed a hand against the gunshot wound on my stomach to staunch the blood flow.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispered as he lifted me into his arms bridal style and started to rush me down the stairs. With every stair he descended, I felt pain flare in every wound, bruise, bump, and broken bone. I wasn't quite aware of what I was saying, until I told Edward I loved him.

"I love you so much," I whimpered.

"I love you too, baby," he said fervently.

"It hurts so much," I cried, holding onto him tighter.

"What hurts, Bella?" he asked angrily.

"Everything," I whispered, my head lolling to the side.

I caught sight of my friends who were silently crying. I locked eyes with Emmett.

"I'm sorry, Emmy," I said quietly. I was losing energy quickly.

"It's okay, Bella," he replied, trying to smile, "I can say that I've gotten shot now, and Carlisle says I'll have an awesome scar to prove it. Chicks won't be able to resist me at all."

I chuckled a little and winced at how everything in my body just _hurt_. I rested my head against Edward's shoulder.

"I'm tired," I whispered.

"No, no, no," he shook his head, "Open your eyes. Let me see those beautiful brown eyes of yours."

"Can't," I choked out.

I felt him hit flat ground and start to run. It hurt more than when he was descending the stairs.

"Isabella, if you don't try your damnedest to open your fucking eyes, I will kick your ass so hard," Rosalie vowed, but I could hear the desperation in her voice.

The extent of my awareness of my surroundings began to shrink, as I became hyper aware of my heartbeat and the pain in my body. My heart was thumping hard in my chest, like it was struggling to keep beating.

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

My body pulsed in pain to the beat of my heart. I heard someone try to take me from Edward, but he growled. After a moment, someone took me from Edward's arms and lay me on, I assumed, a stretcher.

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

I heard Edward climb into the ambulance, and the doors slam shut. The wail of the sirens told me the ambulance had started moving quickly through the streets to the hospital.

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

The EMTs were asking Edward questions as they started poking and prodding me. He was desperately trying to answer the man's questions.

_Thump-thump._

Sound faded until it had completely disappeared. I was aware of very little. All that was left was the pain.

_Thump._

And then there was nothing.

* * *

**This might be the longest chapter I have ever written. Roughly 5,200 words.**

***sighs* This took a long time. I hope it lived up to expectations. **

**Did everything happen too fast?**

**Was the end too dramatic?**

**Was it too cliche?**

**Pleaseeee review!**

**There's only one chapter left. **

**Are you excited? XD**

**Thanks for reading!**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Love, Jules :)**


	26. I'llStillLoveYou

**BPOV**

I died that day.

In fact, I actually died a few times that day, once in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, again when they were rushing me through the halls of the hospital to the emergency operating room, and twice when they were operating on me to repair all the damage that Alec had inflicted.

The doctors managed to bring me back every single time though, for which I am eternally grateful.

From the time my heart stopped in the ambulance, I swam in darkness. I felt weightless, like I didn't even exist. I knew that should have scared me, but I couldn't help but feel at peace. No one could hurt me while I was in that darkness.

It wrapped around me like a blanket, sheltering me from a place where people like Alec Volturi exist. Truthfully, I was scared. I couldn't stop thinking about what he'd done to me. I was especially terrified that when I woke up, the doctors would tell me that I'd never be able to dance again or that Edward wouldn't want to be around me now that I would need so much help for daily activities because of the gunshot wound in my stomach and my leg. Of course I missed Edward, but I was too afraid.

So I didn't fight unconsciousness. I was content to stay safe as I was.

Until I distantly heard Edward's voice, begging me to wake up.

His voice flitted through my mind, telling me that he loved me and that he needed me to wake up. He listed all the things that he loved about me. Some were things that I didn't even know about myself, like the last few things on his list.

"I love that you have the smallest scar on your bottom lip because you bite it so much," he said.

"I love how you throw your head back when you find something particularly hilarious and how you turn your head to the side to chuckle softly when you don't want anyone to know you're laughing at someone or at what someone is doing," he chuckled.

"I need you in my life, Bella," he whispered, "I need you to wake up. I love you so much. Please, wake up."

My heart swelled with love for him as he kept talking, and I slowly began to feel the pressure of his hand on mine, gently squeezing my fingers. I became more aware of my body, feeling my leg in a heavy cast, the pinch of the IV in my arm, the pulse monitor on my finger.

I suddenly didn't care about what would happen when I woke up. I just needed to be in Edward's arms. He'd dispelled all my fears concerning his feelings for me. I decided that nothing mattered as long as I could talk to him, kiss him, and be held by him.

So I fought my unconsciousness, trying to wake up. I willed my body to move, to do anything. I heard my heart rate monitor pick up slightly, and Edward stopped talking. He left my side for a moment to call for his dad but quickly returned to hold my hand tightly in his.

"Bella, please wake up," he begged, "Please, please."

I tried to squeeze his hand in reply, but my fingers only twitched in response.

"Edward? What is it?" I heard Carlisle ask as he stepped into my hospital room.

"I think she's waking up," Edward answered.

"I'll get the others," Carlisle said and I heard his footsteps race out of the room.

"Open your eyes, love," Edward continued to coax me awake. He was squeezing my hand and running his hands through my hair.

I finally managed to open my eyes, wincing at the bright hospital lights.

"Oh, thank god," Edward breathed in relief.

I coughed a little at how dry my throat was and then winced at the pain in my chest. Edward helped me sit up a little and drink a little water. Once the water soothed my throat, I turned to look up at Edward.

"I love you," I whispered, "I love you so much. Your voice... I didn't want to wake up but then I heard you talking and I knew I had to so I could be with you."

He kissed my forehead and hugged me, careful not to hurt me.

"Please don't scare me like that ever again," he whispered.

I nodded vehemently, "I'm sorry for everything I said backstage. I didn't mean any of that. I do love you, and there's nothing that I want to do more than just be with you."

"When Alice pointed out your leg, I knew she was right and I had no doubt that you didn't mean anything you said," he shook his head.

"I love you so much," I breathed.

"I love you too," he grinned and kissed me passionately.

My heart monitor beeped crazily and I could feel him smirk against my lips. I didn't care that I was in a hospital, that my breath was probably very unpleasant, that I was covered in bandages and couldn't even lift the leg that had the cast, and that my stupid heart monitor was letting everyone know how Edward made me feel.

I was alive and awake, and Edward was kissing me. I just wanted to enjoy this, and from the way Edward was kissing me, I knew he felt the same way. We didn't even pull away from each other when the others walked in, clearing their throats obnoxiously and laughing at us.

"Okay, Romeo," Emmett admonished, and Edward was suddenly not attached to my lips because Emmett had pulled him away from me.

"Yeah, let the girl breathe," Jasper rolled his eyes.

I laughed, trying to catch my breath. I saw Alice and Rose watching me anxiously. I grinned and opened my arms. They climbed onto my hospital bed and snuggled into either side of me. They both hugged me gently and I squeezed their shoulders in reply.

"You scared the hell out of us," Alice complained.

"We should kick your ass," Rose muttered, "But we won't because we love you."

"I love you all too," I chuckled.

We spent an hour like that, talking about what I'd missed. I knew Carlisle was waiting until the others weren't in the room to talk to me about my injuries. All I knew was that I'd been in a coma for about a week, probably because of the concussion and the emotional trauma of the experience.

They told me about what was happening at the dance school and at our actual high school. I enjoyed that we were talking about stuff like that. I wasn't entirely ready for my talk with Carlisle, so I used the time to prepare myself.

When Carlisle finally told everyone to get out, I couldn't let go of Edward's hand. He tried to walk away but I kept holding onto his hand, yanking him back to me.

"You sure you want me to stay?" he asked me and I nodded.

"Okay, Carlisle," I sighed, "You can start."

"You sustained a lot of damage, Bella. You were in surgery for more than five hours, and your heart stopped four times between the time you got into the ambulance and the time we finished your surgery," he said in his doctor voice.

He continued, "We were able to stitch up the gunshot wounds on your arms, and you'll only have very faint scars when they've completely healed. As for your chest, one of your ribs broke and managed to tear a large cut in your lungs and wreak a little havoc on the tissue in that area as well, causing massive internal bleeding. We stitched the tear on your lungs and the other cuts made by the bone. We retrieved the bone and set it so that it will heal properly. A few of your other ribs cracked, and your chest is still heavily bruised. Movement will be incredibly painful until your ribs have fully healed and the bruises have faded."

I sighed and nodded slowly, telling him that I was following. Edward squeezed my hand, and I returned the gesture.

"As for the gunshot wound in your stomach, we were able to retrieve all the fragments of the bullet," Carlisle said, "Luckily the bullet didn't travel too far and missed all of your vital organs. In fact, it barely missed your liver."

Carlisle sighed, and I knew he was going to start talking about my leg, "Your femur... That sledgehammer dealt a lot of damage. It didn't cleanly break the bone. It shattered the area of impact. However, we were able to retrieve all of the fragments and piece the bone back together. We had to insert a metal rod to help the bone heal properly."

It was quiet as I processed this.

"Will I be able to dance once it's healed?" I asked quietly.

"That's a very difficult question," Carlisle began, "The damage to the bone and muscle was extensive. However, I've seen people recover from a wide range of serious injuries. I can't promise that you'll be able to, but I have faith that you will. You're a fighter, Bella, and I know you'll do anything to dance again. The bone will take anywhere from 3-6 months to heal. I'm going to guess that your recovery time will lean more towards the 6 month healing time because of the damage. After it is fully healed, I'll refer you to a physical therapist to get you to the shape you were in before the injury. Your physical therapist will eventually give you the go ahead for you to dance again."

I sighed and nodded.

"It's going to be a lot of work, but it's not impossible," he finished, smiling gently at me.

"Thank you so much, Carlisle," I breathed.

"Don't thank me yet," he chuckled a little, "You're going to hate me by the time you're done healing. You're going to have to use a wheelchair while that cast is on. As your healing progresses, we'll give you a lighter cast but you're stuck with that one for the time being."

I huffed, "Fine."

"In no way are you allowed to do any unnecessary physical activity," Carlisle ordered, "You aren't even allowed to go to the bathroom without having someone help you. Moving around too much will be detrimental to your healing process, and the pain will be excruciating. I'm prescribing you pain medication but I'd rather you not use it if you don't have to because it's the strong stuff."

"Okay," I smiled, "Whatever you say, Doc."

"I have to keep you in the hospital for at least another 24 hours for observation, but you should be able to go home tomorrow," he smiled and walked over to me, kissing my forehead.

"You have no idea how relieved I am that you're still with us," Carlisle whispered to me, "You're like a daughter to me, Bella."

I blushed and thanked him for everything quietly.

"I'll send the others in a little later," he said before he left the room to check on his other patients.

I patted the bed beside me and Edward slid into the bed to hold me. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest.

"I love you," he said, kissing my head.

"I love you too," I smiled.

"I'm going to take care of you, okay?" he stated rather than asked.

"For the rest of my life?" I asked, teasing him.

"If you'll let me," he answered seriously.

"That doesn't sound so bad," I laughed softly.

"Not at all," he grinned and laughed with me.

"You'll love me, no matter what happens?" I asked, just slightly insecure.

"No matter what," he promised.

"Even if I can't dance ever again?" I asked quietly.

"You _will_ dance again, Bella," Edward rolled his eyes, "But if you don't, I don't care. Will _you_ still love me if I go bald and get fat in the future?"

"Of course," I laughed, "What if Alec Volturi comes after me again?"

"I'll kick his ass, and I'll still love you," Edward promised, "What if I do something stupid, like forget an anniversary or something?"

"I'll be mad, I guess, but I'll still love you," I nodded, "What if we get into a monumental fight and I say I don't want to see you ever again?"

"I'll respect your wishes and I'll wait until you want to see me again," he promised, "But I'll still love you, even then. What if I leave the toilet seat up?"

"I'll still love you," I chuckled, "What if I burn dinner?"

"I'll still love you," he told me quietly, "Nothing you say or do can make me not love you. You're it for me, Bella. If anything good came out of this whole Alec Volturi fiasco, it's that I realized that I can't live without you."

"So, no matter what happens, you'll stay with me?" I asked again.

"Yes," he swore.

"Good," I smiled, "Because when I heard your voice while I was still in a coma, I realized that you're all I'll ever need."

"I love you," he grinned.

"I love you too," I smiled back.

I snuggled into his chest, easily falling asleep to his steady heartbeat. I knew that we'd meant every word we'd said.

My love was enough for him, and his love was enough for me. We didn't need anything else.

That knowledge gave me the courage to stop worrying about the future, which in turn gave me the strength to endure the pain and restlessness that accompanied my healing. Edward was there with me, every step of the way, which made me only love him more.

I now stand in the classroom that Edward and I had used while practicing for the showcase just a few months ago. He's kneeling by one of the mirrors, looking for a song to play.

Yesterday my physical therapist had just given me permission to start dancing again, and Edward had the idea to come back here. Needless to say, I'm shaking with anxiety. I had no idea that I'd be this nervous, but I am.

Edward walks up to me and takes my face in his hands, kissing my deeply. I laugh and kiss him back.

"No matter what happens..." he prompts.

"I'll still love you," I finish happily. It was our thing for when we're nervous about something or for when we wanted to remind each other of the promises we made that day in my hospital room.

"So you're definitely ready for this?" he asks me, searching my eyes.

"Without a doubt," I assure him then, just to tease him, I ask, "Are you?"

He rolls his eyes at me and plays a song on his iPod, Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I grin because this song was adorable.

He walks up to me and I just smile up at him.

"Are we going to dance or what?" he says, rolling his eyes.

I slap his chest in response, "Yes, I just thought we'd enjoy the moment for a bit."

"You're stalling," he accuses me.

"Am not!" I roll my eyes at him.

He smiles down at me, and my anxiety slowly disappears. I remind myself that whatever happens next doesn't matter, as long as Edward is right next to me, and I no longer care what I will look like in a few moments when I finally start to dance with Edward for the first time in months.

"Let's dance?" he smiles and I nod.

"Let's," I grin.

* * *

**This is the last chapter, folks!**

**I debated with myself when writing the ending to this story. At first, I felt like I ended it really abruptly and thought about changing it. But I realized that this was the perfect way to end it.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and this story in general.**

**Thanks for sticking with me until the end!**

**I love you all!**

**Please feel free to check out my new story Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater!**

**I'm thinking of having a new story up in a few weeks. BXJasper this time. :D**

**Again, I'm so thankful for all of my readers.**

**I'm not a very popular author, but that doesn't really matter to me.**

**I'm just glad that you all took the time to check this story out, when I know there are more incredible stories on this website.**

**Thank you so much!**

**Love, Jules :)**


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